A systematic review of outcomes of toe-to-thumb transfers for isolated traumatic thumb amputation.

Background: Toe-to-thumb transfer is an established procedure for reconstruction of traumatic thumb amputations. The four types of toe-to-thumb transfers are the second toe, the great toe, the wrap-around great toe and the trimmed great toe transfers. The purpose of this study is to conduct a systematic review of the literature to compare outcomes amongst different methods of toe-to-thumb transfers.

Methods: A literature search using 'toe-to-thumb transfer' combined with 'thumb injury' and 'thumb reconstruction' as keywords and limited to humans and the English language identified 633 studies. Studies were included in the review if they: (1) present primary data, (2) report three or more toe-to-thumb transfers for isolated complete traumatic thumb amputation between the metacarpophalangeal joint and the interphalangeal joint (both excluded) and (3) present functional outcome data.

Results: Twenty-five studies representing 450 toe-to-thumb transfers met the inclusion criteria. They included 101 second toe transfers, 196 great toe transfers, 122 wrap-around transfers and 31 trimmed toe transfers. The mean survival rate was 96.4%. No statistically significant differences could be detected between the four transfers with regards to survival, arc of motion, total active motion, grip and pinch strength and static two-point discrimination.

Conclusions: All four types of toe transfer procedures have predictably high survival rates and good patient satisfaction scores. The current data are inadequate to make any comments with regards to donor site morbidity. Till such data are available, an evidence-based recommendation for the superiority of a specific type of toe-to-thumb transfer cannot be made.