ABSTRACT
Objective:To explore the clinical effect of keystone flap (KF) on repair of soft tissue defects at the donor site after flap transfer.Methods:From October 2020 to December 2022, in the Department of Microsurgical Rapair of First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, 12 patients were repaired with KF after transfer of flaps. There were 3 donor sites for lateral thigh myocutaneous flap, 3 for sural nerve nutrient vascular flap, 4 for latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap and 2 for medial supramalleolar island flap. Size of the KF was 15.0 cm × 12.0 cm-30.0 cm × 20.0 cm. Types of KF were: 3 of type I, 5 of type IIA, 2 of type IIB and 2 of type Sydney Melanoma Unit (SMU) modification KF design. Four patients were reviewed by telephone follow-up, 5 by WeChat and 3 with outpatient clinic visits to observe the appearance of the transferred KF and postoperative complications. Appearance of flaps was scored and analysed using Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) and Scar Cosmesis Assessment and Rating (SCAR) .Results:The average follow-up period was 15.9 (2-27) months. The colour and texture of the transferred KF were similar to that of the surrounding skin, together with good sensation recovery. No complication such as osteofascial compartment syndrome, necrosis, wound dehiscence and venous congestion occurred in all patients. At the final follow-up, the scores for VSS was 2.17±0.58 and the score for SCAR was 5.33±1.23, with satisfactory repairing outcomes.Conclusion:As a relay flap, the KF is a simple and effective flap for reconstruction of the defects at the donor site and it can avoid complications that can be caused by direct closure of the soft tissue defect or a wound dehiscence after skin grafting.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To explore the effectiveness of keystone flap in repairing skin and soft tissue defects around joint. Methods: Between March 2013 and December 2017, 10 patients of skin and soft tissue defects around the joint were repaired with keystone flaps. There were 6 males and 4 females. The age ranged from 17 to 72 years, with an average age of 57.5 years. The skin and soft tissue defects located around the joints, including 2 cases of hip joints, 4 cases of knee joints, 3 cases of elbow joints, and 1 case of wrist joint. The cause of skin and soft tissue defects included scar contracture in 3 cases, basal cell carcinoma in 3 cases, squamous-cell carcinoma in 3 cases, and dermatofibrosarcoma protuberant in 1 case. The area of defects ranged from 4 cm×3 cm to 11 cm×11 cm. The keystone flap was designed beside the wound, and the V-shaped flap was designed at the longer side of the fan-shaped flap. The area of flap ranged from 7 cm×3 cm to 35 cm×10 cm. The flap was constantly compressed by vacuum assisted closure after operation for 3-6 days. Results: Primary wound healing was achieved and the flaps survived. All patients were followed up 6-24 months (mean, 15 months). The texture and color of flap was similar to the adjacent area. The appearance and function of joint were satisfactory. Conclusion: The keystone flap is a feasible and efficient way to repair the wound around joint. Furthermore, the skin color and texture is similar to the surrounding tissue after healing.
ABSTRACT
Even though several techniques are available for repairing lower extremity skin defects, it is hard to challenge the advantages of local flaps (advancement, rotation, or transposition) due to lack of skin laxity of lower extremities. Modified keystone flap (MKF) is a simple and effective method of closing a large skin defect. It is especially useful for wound closure in circumstances where the defects show limited skin laxity. Compared to the keystone flap (KF), MKF has many advantages, including quick healing time, high flap viability, minimal postoperative pain, and excellent aesthetic results. Here, we report two cases of reconstruction of large skin defects of the lower extremities using MKF with satisfactory results.
Subject(s)
Lower Extremity , Methods , Pain, Postoperative , Skin , Wounds and InjuriesABSTRACT
The keystone flap is a fascia-based island flap with two conjoined V-Y flaps. Here, we report a case of successful treatment of a trochanter pressure sore patient with the traditional keystone flap. A 50-year-old male patient visited our department with a 3×5 cm pressure sore (grade III) to the left of the greater trochanter that was covered with eschar. Debridement was done and the defect size increased to 5×8 cm in an elliptical shape. Doppler ultrasound was then used to locate the inferior gluteal artery perforator near the wound. The keystone flap was designed to the medial side. The perforator based keystone island flap covered the defect without resistance. The site remained clean, and no dehiscence, infection, hematoma, or seroma developed. In general, greater trochanter pressure sores are covered with a perforator based propeller flap or fascia lata flap. However, these flaps have the risk of pedicle kinking and require a large operation site. For the first time, we successfully applied the keystone flap to treat a greater trochanter pressure sore patient. Our design was also favorable with the relaxation skin tension lines. We conclude that the keystone flap including a perforator is a reliable option to reconstruct trochanteric pressure sores.