Controversies in the treatment of fingertip amputations. Conservative versus surgical reconstruction.

Fingertip amputations are the most common type of amputation injury in the upper extremity. These injuries are either seen in the emergency room or in an office setting. These lesions are very frequent and require precise wound care for optimal results. The longer finger and the thumb, being the most distal and independent mobile parts of the hand are affected very often by these kind of injuries. Treatment of fingertip injuries is a continuous focus of controversy among hand and orthopaedic surgeons. Different treatment options have been described, depending on the affected segment and finger, type of lesion, gender and age of the patient, location, size, and depth of the defect. The indications, advantages, and disadvantages of several reconstructive procedures for fingertip injuries have been described. The techniques themselves are not described in detail.