Table 3 Comparison recipient site (hand)-related complications in vascularized vs. non-vascularized transfers

• 6% complications: skin necrosis (n = 2; 1 partial, 1 full), instability (n = 2) [17, 20]

• 100% complications: skin necrosis (n = 3; 1 partial, 2 full) with bad sensibility. All 22 patients were tenolysed 5 to 24 months postoperatively. Second tenolyse required (n = 2), correction osteotomy (n = 2), tendon transposition (n = 2), CMCJ arthrodesis of the radial toe (n = 1) [31]

• 8% complications: tenolysis required (n = 1) [48]

• 56% complications: wound breakdown (n = 1), skin graft loss (n = 1), K-wire infection (n = 1), in the long term, tenolysis was required (n = 6), development of a hammer toe (n = 1) [68]

• 100% complications: secondary operations were required in 100% (14 patients). These included tenolysis, repair of tendon rupture, secondary tendon grafting or transfer, opponensplasty, web space deepening, metacarpal osteotomy, and ligamentplasty for joint instability [78]

• 42% complications: tenolysis (n = 5), wound infection (n = 3) [60]

Average of 54% hand-related complications

• 43% complications: limited postoperative growth, so secondary lengthening was performed (32%), wound issues (n = 5), subluxation (n = 2), resorption (n = 1) [6]

• 3% complications: wound necrosis (n = 1), infection (n = 1) [8]

• 6% complications: resorption (n = 7) [22]

• 25% complications: resorption (n = 22), skin necrosis (n = 4), infection (n = 2) [23]

• 9% complications: partial necrosis (n = 5) [40]

• 5% complications: skin necrosis (n = 1), resorption (n = 1) [69]

• 5% complications: wound issues with partial skin necrosis (n = 2), wound infection (n = 1) with total resorption [77]

• 33% complications: phalanx resorption (n = 1) [44]

Average of 16% hand-related complications