Annular constricting bands.

We reviewed forty-five patients with congenital constriction bands with an average follow-up of 15.8 years. The family history and associated anomalies were recorded and particular attention was paid to temperature gradients and neurocirculatory deficits with respect to band location. No family history of band constrictions was elicited. Most of our patients were products of first pregnancies and of young mothers. Deformity of the nails was a constant finding in patients with distally located bands. All patients demonstrated at least one other anomaly, most commonly a malformation of the hand. Neural deficits were noted in 23 per cent of the patients, while circulatory findings appeared in 16 per cent. A significant temperature gradient averaging 2.38 degrees Celsius was noted in twenty patients in whom the bands were located proximally. All patients with neural deficits demonstrated a significant temperature gradient. Staged z-plasty was the procedure of choice in surgical release of constriction bands.