RESUMEN
Objective:To analyze the necessity of anastomosis of the cutaneous nerve by comparing anterolateral femoral flaps with versus without anastomosis of the anterolateral femoral cutaneous nerve in the repair of extremity soft tissue defects.Methods:A retrospective analysis was made of the clinical data of 30 patients with extremity soft tissue defects who had been admitted to Department of Orthopedics, The Sixth People＇s Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine from September 2019 to March 2022. The patients were assigned into 2 groups according to whether the anterolateral femoral cutaneous nerve was anastomosed or not in the repair of extremity soft tissue defects using anterolateral femoral flaps. In the anastomosis groups of 14 cases, there were 7 males and 7 females, with an age of (46.4±15.2) years and a flap size of (22.4±7.3) cm×(8.5±1.3) cm. In the non-anastomosis group of 16 cases, there were 11 males and 5 females, with an age of (39.9±15.8) years and a flap size of (23.0±6.4) cm×(9.0±2.1) cm. The 2 groups were compared in terms of flap survival, Semmes-Weinstein recovery degree and area of monofilament tactile sensation, and time periods for temperature sensation and two-point discrimination.Results:There was no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups in the preoperative general data, showing they were comparable ( P>0.05). All the flaps survived completely without vascular crisis. In the anastomosis group, the time periods required for Semmes-Weinstein recovery of monofilament tactile sensation to the areas of 20.0%, 50.0%, and 80.0% [(2.5±0.7) months, (6.7±1.1) months, and (11.0±1.2) months] were significantly shorter than those in the non-anastomosis group [(3.6±1.3) months, (8.6±1.4) months, and (15.0±2.2) months], the recovery area at the last follow-up [100.0% (100.0%, 100.0%)] was significantly larger than that in the non-anastomosis group [84.6% (81.7%, 89.9%)], and the time period for recovery of temperature sensation [(3.9±0.7) months] significantly shorter than that in the non-anastomosis group [(6.1±1.1) months] (all P<0.05). The time for recovery of two-point discrimination in the 14 patients in the anastomosis group was (10.4±1.7) months while only 7 of the 16 patients in the non-anastomosis group recovered two-point discrimination after (14.7±1.4) months, showing a significant difference between the 2 groups ( P<0.05). Conclusion:In the repair of extremity soft tissue defects using anterolateral femoral flaps, compared with no anastomosis of the cutaneous nerve, anastomosis of the anterolateral femoral cutaneous nerve may ensure more or less the sensory recovery of the flaps.