Relationship between the number of digital nerves sutured and sensory recovery in replanted fingers.

The relationship between the number of digital nerves sutured and sensory recovery was investigated in 50 fingers of 33 patients, with follow-up of more than five years after replantation of the amputated fingers. Items of investigation were measurements of two-point discrimination (2PD) values and the threshold of touch sense. In cases of repair at the proximal phalanx, good sensory recovery was observed only with bilateral nerve repair. At the middle phalanx, the influence of the location of repair on sensory recovery was greater than that of the number of digital nerves sutured. Sensory recovery was better in those cases with repairs at a more distal location. Modes of sensory recovery were also studied.