ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the application and surgical effect of lobed anterolateral femoral chimeric perforator flap in repairing the complex soft tissue defects of limbs.Methods:Clinical materials of 52 cases with complex soft tissue defects of limbs were retrospectively reviewed from October 2013 to October 2020. Thirty-two males and 20 females were reviewed, and the age of them ranged from 6 to 65(mean 39) years old. The injuries include 17 cases of traffic accidents, 15 machine crush injuries, 12 engineering accidents, and 8 extensive resection of malignant tumors. The size of soft tissue defects ranged from 26.0 cm×10.0 cm to 35.0 cm×15.0 cm. Lobed anterolateral thigh chimeric perforator flaps or lobed Flow-through chimeric perforator flaps were designed according to the soft tissue defects and blood circulation of the distal extremities. Start from 8-month post-operation, upper limb function was assessed according to the Upper Limb Function Assessment Standard of Hand Surgery Branch of Chinese Medical Association and Disability of arm shoulder and hand(DASH) score scale, and Fugl-Meyer score system was used to evaluate the lower limb function. Long-term follow-up was conducted through WeChat video call and outpatient clinic evaluation.Results:All flaps survived. One patient with crush injury got delayed wound healing due to deep hemaetoma after surgery, and the rest were healed at the first stage. All the cases entered followed-up, ranged from 6 to 20(mean 8) months. The appearance of the flaps was satisfactory, and the color of the flaps has no significant difference compared with the recipient area. No recurrence of tumor was reported during the follow-up period. According to the Upper Limb Function Assessment Standard of Hand Surgery Branch of Chinese Medical Association, there were 21 excellent cases and 8 good cases, and the total excellent and good rate was 100%. The DASH score of upper limbs ranges from 11.5 to 45.1(mean 25.4±13.7), and the Fugl-Meyer score of lower limbs range from 18.6 to 31.8(mean 26.2±11.2) at the last follow-up.Conclusion:The complex soft tissue defect of limbs is a common complication caused by high-energy trauma, which is difficult to repair. The lobed anterolateral thigh chimeric perforator flap through a Decompose-Combine and arrange method for reconstruction, which is flexible in flap design. A variety of tissue flaps can be obtained by anastomosing only one group of blood vessels. It is an ideal choice for repairment of complex soft tissue defects of limbs.
ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the feasibility and technique of using the anterolateral thigh perforator flap pedicled with the lateral branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery (LBLCFA) to repair soft tissue defect of extremities.Methods Eighty-six cases of anterolateral thigh perforator flap transplantation were performed from May,2014 to May,2018.A total of 37 cases of soft tissue defect of extremities were treated by anterolateral thigh perforator flap used the LBLCFA as vascular pedicle,of which there were 19 cases of upper limbs and 18 of lower limbs.There were 27 cases of defects caused by trauma,and 10 by soft tissue tumor resection.The flaps were designed centering around the point proximal to the midpoint of the iliac-patellar line.The dimensions of soft tissue defect were from 9.0 cm×6.0 cm to 26.0 cm×10.0 cm,and the flap were from 10.0 cm×7.0 cm to 27.0 cm×11.0 cm.The length of vascular pedicle ranged of 7.0-13.0 cm,with an average of 11.5 cm.The donor sites were directly sutured.All of the patients were followed-up regularly in the outpatient department.Results All the flaps survived and the donor sites were primarily healed.Of these 37 cases,2 trauma patients and 2 patients treated with local radiotherapy had poor wound healing,but still healed after multiple dressing changes.All the patients were followed-up for 3-26 months,with an average of 13 months.The texture,color and elasticity of the flap were similar to the surrounding tissue of the recipient sites,while only a linear scar remained at the donor sites.Ten tumor patients were treated with routine radiotherapy and chemotherapy after the repairation;there was no tumor recurrence during the follow-up period.Conclusion The LBLCFA gives off a relatively large and thick perforator proximal 5.0-7.0 cm of the iliacpatellar line,which locates in the upper lateral side,travels parallel to the vastus lateralis,and give off the skin and muscular perforators.The lateral branch can be used as pedicle to make into perforator flap or chimeric flap,which provides a novel selection of vascular pedicel for anterolateral thigh perforator flap.When the descending branch does not provide a thick and large perforator,the LBLCFA has important practical value and is worth utilizing in the clinic.