Repair of scalp defect with anterolateral thigh perforator flap after revascularisation of moyamoya disease: a report of 7 cases / 中华显微外科杂志

Objective:To investigate the clinical effect of free anterolateral thigh perforator flap(ALTPF) in reconstruction of temporal scalp defect after blood circulation reconstruction surgery for moyamoya disease.Methods:From May 2020 to July 2022, 7 patients with scalp defect after revascularisation of moyamoya disease were treated in Department of Hand and Foot Microsurgery, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital (People’s Hospital of Zhengzhou University). The patients were 4 males and 3 females, aged 33-59 years old, at 43 years old in average. There were 5 defects in left tempus and 2 in right tempus. The sizes of scalp defect were 4.5 cm × 5.5 cm-7.5 cm × 9.5 cm. Debridement and VSD management were primarily performed. After wounds were stabilised, ultrasound location of perforator vessels of ALTPFs was performed. Having confirmed that the perforator vessels were suitable for the surgical requirements, flap transfers were then performed. The descending branch of the lateral femoral circumflex artery was end-to-side anastomosed with the superficial temporal artery, and the descending branch of the lateral femoral circumflex vein was end-to-end anastomosed with the superficial temporal vein. Postoperative follow-up was conducted through outpatient clinic visits, telephone and WeChat reviews. Appearance, texture of ALTPFs and the flap donor sites were observed in follow-ups. Comparisons of the changes of nervous system before and after surgery were made. Cognitive function of the patients was assessed with the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), together with the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) .Results:All 7 flaps survived. One flap had vascular compromise 6 hours after surgery, and was rectified after surgical intervention. All the patients were included in the postoperative follow-up for 7-33 (average 19) months. All flaps had good appearance with soft texture. There was no obvious difference in colour comparing with the skin around the recipient region. The donor sites healed well without hypertrophic scar. Examinations of nervous system of the patients were found the same as that before surgery. Using Manual Muscle Testing (MMT), the average limb muscle strength of the patients was 4 before surgery and 4 after surgery, without change; Using the Ashworth assessment scale, the average preoperative and postoperative limb muscle tension in this group of patients was 1, without change; The Berg balance scale was used to evaluate the patient's balance function, with an average score of 42 before surgery and 42 after surgery, without any changes; There was no change in limb sensation before and after surgery; Using the MMSE, the average preoperative score and postoperative score of this group of patients were 25 points, without any change. Using the modified Barthel index scoring standard, the average preoperative score for this group of patients was 75 points, and the average postoperative score was 79 points, and the ADL of the patient had improved to various levels.Conclusion:Reconstruction of scalp defect with free ALTPF after revascularisation of moyamoya disease has obvious advantages, such as it closes the wound quickly, prevents infection and achieves a good appearance. This surgical procedure can produce a good clinical effect.

Closure of a full-thickness scalp burn that occurred during hair coloring using a simple skin-stretching method: A case report and review of the literature

Full-thickness scalp burns secondary to hair coloring are rare; however, such defects can be large and complex reconstruction of hair-bearing tissue may be necessary. Many skin-stretching devices that use gradual traction have been applied to take advantage of the viscoelastic properties of the skin. A 21-year-old female patient was seen with a burn defect on her occipital scalp leading to exposed subcutaneous tissue after chemical application of hair coloring in a salon. The dimensions of the wound were 10 cm×5 cm, and a skin graft or flap would have been necessary to close the defect. Two long transfixing K-wires (1.4 mm) and paired 3-wire threads (23 gauge), which are readily available in most hospitals, were applied over a period of 12 days for trichophytic closure of the defect. The remaining scalp scars after primary trichophytic closure with this skin-stretching method were refined with hair follicle transplantation. This skin-stretching method is simple to apply and valuable for helping to close problematic areas of skin shortage that would otherwise require more complicated procedures. This case shows a relatively unknown complication of hair coloring and its treatment.

Effects of anteriolateral thigh perforator flap and fascia lata transplantation in combination with computed tomography angiography on repair of electrical burn wounds of head with skull exposure and necrosis / 中华烧伤杂志

Objective@#To explore the effects of anteriolateral thigh perforator flap and fascia lata transplantation in combination with computed tomography angiography (CTA) on repair of electrical burn wounds of head with skull exposure and necrosis.@*Methods@#Seven patients with head electrical burns accompanied by skull exposure and necrosis were admitted to our burn center from March 2016 to December 2017. Head CTA was performed before the operation. The diameters of the facial artery and vein or the superficial temporal artery and vein were measured, and their locations were marked on the body surface. Preoperative CTA for flap donor sites in lower extremities were also performed to track the descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery with the similar diameter as the recipient vessels on the head, and their locations were marked on the body surface. Routine wound debridement and skull drilling were performed successively. The size of the wounds after debridement ranged from 12 cm×8 cm to 20 cm×12 cm, and the areas of skull exposure ranged from 8 cm×6 cm to 15 cm×10 cm. Anteriolateral thigh perforator flaps with areas from 13 cm×9 cm to 21 cm×13 cm containing 5-10 cm long vascular pedicles were designed and dissected accordingly. The fascia lata under the flap with area from 5 cm×2 cm to 10 cm×3 cm was dissected according to the length of vascular pedicle. The fascia lata was transplanted to cover the exposed skull, and the anteriolateral thigh perforator flap was transplanted afterwards. The descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery and its accompanying vein of the flap were anastomosed with superficial temporal artery and vein or facial artery and vein before the suture of flap. The flap donor sites were covered by intermediate split-thickness skin graft collected from contralateral thigh or abdomen.@*Results@#The descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery and its accompanying vein were anastomosed with superficial temporal artery and vein in six patients, while those with facial artery and vein in one patient. All the flaps survived after the operation, and no vascular crisis was observed. Wound healing was satisfactory. One patient was lost to follow up. Six patients were followed up for 6 to 10 months. The patients were bald in the head operation area with acceptable appearance. No psychiatric symptom such as headache or epileptic seizure was reported. The flap donor sites were normal in appearance. The muscle strength of the lower extremities all reached grade V. The sensation and movement of the lower extremities were normal.@*Conclusions@#Anterolateral thigh perforator flap with fascia lata transplantation can effectively repair electrical burn wounds of head with skull exposure and necrosis. The fascia lata can be used to protect the vascular pedicle of flaps, which is beneficial to the survival of the flap. Preoperative head and lower extremities CTA can provide reference for intraoperative vascular exploration in donor site and recipient area, so as to shorten operation time.

Application of skin and soft tissue expander in reconstruction of large scalp defect with skull exposure / 中华医学美学美容杂志

Objective To investigate reconstructive repair methods of a large scalp defect with the granulation tissue wounds and skull exposure caused by the trauma.Methods Skin and soft tissue expansion technique was used to repair eight patients with a large scalp defect with the granulation tissue wounds and skull exposure caused by the trauma.The skin and soft tissue expanders were embedded under normal epicranial aponeurosis after the formation of fresh granulation tissue wound.Strict aseptic technique as well as water injection was done in the expansion process and moderate expansion to maintain rich blood circulation in the expansive parts.Results 12 skin and soft tissue expanders were implanted in 8 patients and the scalp wounds were completely repaired.No infection was detected after surgery and injection expansion process.Conclusions The skin and soft tissue expansion can be used to reconstruct post-traumatic scalp defect with granulation tissue wound and skull exposure.

Reconstruction of Scalp Defects using Bilobed Flap

The bilobed flap is often used when the primary closure of a skin defect is difficult. We applied a simple and rational method to design a bilobed flap for closure of scalp defect that reconstruction was comparatively difficult. In our method, two triangle flaps are designed; the angle of the first flap is three-fourths the angle of a rhombus at the defect site, and the angle of the second flap is also three-fourth that of the first flap. We applied it to five patients with scalp defect and obtained favorable result. The location of the defect was the parietal region in two cases. the occipital region in two cases. the frontal region in one case. We found that the alopecia by scar formation could be minimized with the designed bilobed flap. The suture line, being "Z" shape, was unnoticeable due to hair line stream. There are several advantages of this method for use in reconstruction of scalp defect such as, easy design and elevation of the flap and short operation time.