Reconstruction of the skin and soft defects of hand and foot by free medial sural artery perforator flap / 中华显微外科杂志

ABSTRACT

ObjectiveTo evaluate the curative effect of reconstruction of the hand and foot defects with bones and tendons exposure using free medial sural artery perforator flap(MSAP). MethodsRadiographs of 2 cadavers injected with a modified lead oxide-gelatin mixture were digitally analyzed. Between April 2007 and December 2010, thirty-four patients with soft tissue defects in the distal limb were treated with the free MSAP flap transplantation. The sizes of the defect ranged 6 cm × 4 cm-13 cm × 8 cm, and the flaps ranged 7 cm× 5 cm-14 cm × 9 cm. These clinical cases included 25 hands and 9 feet, all of them with bones and tendons exposure.In these defects,twenty-two were clean,twelve got infections.In our cases, twenty-three flaps were nourished with single perforator vessel and else 11 with two;perforator vessel fifteen flaps were dissected one superficial vein to anastomose with that of the recipient sites in addition to accompanying vein anastomosis;The sensation of 9 flaps recovered the hands were reconstructed with cutaneous nerve anastomosis. ResultsA partition of the calf skin blood vessels,and three-dimensional reconstruction image of the sural artery were obtained.All flaps survived,five of them appeared partially violet and bubbles. Followed up 6-21 months, the cosmetic results were satisfactory and without apparent bulkiness.The flap colors were similar to recipient sites. The flap senses reconstructed with neural anastomosis recover to S2-S3. ConclusionThe new flap is very suitable to repair the soft tissue defect in the distal limbs,because the fairly constant perforator vessel,the reliable blood supply and the cosmetic shape of the MSAP flap are all advantages of it in addition to no damage to low leg chief artery and gastrocnemius.