Congenital malformations of the hand. A study of the vascular pattern.

Sixty-five children with 76 hand anomalies had brachial angiography performed to help plan appropriate surgical management. Three different methods of angiography were used. The study showed that the direct exposure method is safe and simple, has few complications and gives the best visualisation of the arterial supply of the hand. It also showed that each type of congenital hand deformity is frequently associated with specific vascular alterations. Angiography is an important and safe investigation in the pre-operative assessment of cases of complex congenital hand deformities.