The degloved hand: immediate complete restoration of skin cover with a contralateral forearm free flap.

This paper describes a method of repair of a serious injury with major skin loss on both the volar and dorsal aspects of the hand and wrist using a free "forearm flap" from the opposite limb. The technique is a one-stage procedure, provides a completely variable amount of skin, the freedom to elevate the repaired hand and the opportunity to revascularise the most distal structures using the vessels incorporated in the flap.