Clinical efficacy of pedicled fat flaps in repairing facial defects after skin tumor resection: a clinical observation / 中华皮肤科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To evaluate clinical efficacy of pedicled fat flaps in the repair of facial defects after skin tumor resection.Methods:Clinical data were collected from 39 patients with facial tumors in Department of Dermatology, The Third People′s Hospital of Hangzhou, and analyzed retrospectively. There were 20 males and 19 females, aged 55 ± 7.3 years (range, 42 - 80 years) , including 15 with basal cell carcinoma, 10 with squamous cell carcinoma, 5 with keratoacanthoma and 9 with solar keratosis. Postoperative skin defects varied from 1.5 cm × 3.0 cm to 8.0 cm × 4.5 cm in size. All patients received skin defect repair with pedicled fat flaps after tumor resection. Twenty-four hours after the surgery, survival condition of the flaps was observed. These patients were followed up at 1, 3 months after the surgery and every 3 months thereafter, and the shape and texture of the flaps and their matching degree with surrounding tissues were evaluated.Results:Twenty-four hours after surgery, the flaps survived well without infection in the 39 patients. Partial necrosis was observed at the distal end of the flaps in 2 cases, whose skin defects were on the lower eyelid, with the ratio of the flap length to pedicle width being greater than 3∶1, and wounds were healed after treatment in both of the 2 cases. One month after surgery, bloated appearance was observed in 3 cases, of which 2 had defects of the upper lip and 1 had defects of the cheek, and the ratios of flap length to pedicle width were less than 2∶1, 2∶1 - 3∶1, and greater than 3∶1 respectively. All patients were followed up for 1 - 12 months, with an average of 7 months. The color and texture of the flaps were good, and favorable function and shape were achieved in both the donor and recipient sites.Conclusion:The pedicled fat flap is markedly effective for the repair of facial skin defects, with high survival rate of flaps, high safety and reliability, and less damage to the donor site.