Application of free medial sural artery perforator flap to repair soft tissue defects of forearm and foot / 中华显微外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To reconstruct and repair forearm and foot injuries with soft tissue defect using medial sural artery perforator flap (MSAP), and to evaluate the curative effects.Method:From May, 2015 to September, 2017, 13 patients (9 males and 4 females) with soft tissue defect on forearm and foot underwent MSAP reconstruction operations. The age was ranged from 19 to 57 (mean 41) years. Six wounds located in forearms and 7 in foot. Ipsilater- al shank was used as donor for the repair of foot. The donor sites were directly sutured. The area of flaps was ranged from 3.0 cm×4.0 cm-7.0 cm×15.0 cm. All cases were followed-up for flap appearance, sensation and donor healing by visit of clinic and WeChat reviews.Results:All 13 flaps survived well without any vascular crisis nor necrosis. Postoperative superficial infections were found in 3 cases, and the wound healed gradually after daily dress changing and anti-infection treatment. Eleven patients were followed-up for 4 to 18 months (average 12 months). Two provincial patients lost to follow-up. No obvious disfunction was found from the donor shanks. The appearance and texture of flaps were in excellent condition and satisfactory. The sensation of 7 flaps was recovered to S 2-S 3. TPD was 6-9 mm. Conclusion:The free MSAP is rational therapeutic strategy for repairing the soft tissue defect of forearm and foot. It has advantages of long vascular pedicle, constant perforation and relatively thin subcutaneous fat.