Apply ultra-thin lobulated anterolateral thigh perforator flap in repairing of large soft tissue defect in foot: a report of 8 cases / 中华显微外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:Exploring the clinical efficacy of using ultra-thin lobulated anterolateral thigh perforator flap(ALTPF) with retrograde separation of perforating vessels from the superficial and deep junction layer of the superficial fascia to repair large soft tissue defects in the foot.Methods:From August 2021 to November 2022, 8 patients (5 males and 3 females) were admitted to the Second Department of Hand and Foot Surgery, the Affiliated Central Hospital of Dalian University of Technology. The patients were 28 to 52 years old in age. The soft tissue defects were located in dorsal and plantar foot. At the plantar foot, the wound involved the weight-bearing area with explosion of bone, tendon or internal fixtures. The area of soft tissue defects was 6.0 cm × 5.0 cm - 16.0 cm × 8.0 cm, and the sizes of ALTPF were 8.0 cm ×5.5 cm - 18.0 cm × 8.5 cm. Preoperative high frequency CUD combined with CTA angiography were employed to locate the 2 flap perforator vessels. By keeping the perforator vessels at center and according to the soft tissue defect area and the wound shape, an ALTPF with a proper size and shape was designed in anterolateral thigh. The perforator were separated in the boundary layer between superficial and deep fascia, where it helped to obviously thin the flap. After the flap was harvested, it was further lobulated between the 2 perforators into 2 lobes after having confirmed the effective blood supply. Finally the lobulated ALTPF was transferred to covered the defect in foot. Cautions should be taken to ensure that the flap covered the weight-bearing area of foot. All the donor sites were directly sutured. Postoperative follow-up was conducted to observe the survival of flaps and the functional recovery of the reconstructed site, also to evaluate the clinical effect. Postoperative follow-up included outpatient visits and reviews over WeChat or telephone. Recovery of the ankle motor function was evaluated according to the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Societ (AOFAS) ankle-hind foot score scale.Results:All 8 ALTPF survived. Over 6 to 18 months (10.8 months in average) of follow-up, the transferred flaps had good blood supply, soft in texture, with good elasticity and thin in appearance. Appearance and function of donor sites recovered well, except 1 patient who had mild scar hyperplasia. The plantar flap had good abrasion resistance. No flap damage, bleeding or granulation tissue hyperplasia occurred when walking. The mean score of AOFAS ankle-hind foot score achieved 95.6.Conclusion:The application of ultra-thin lobulated ALTPF with retrograde separation of perforating vessels from the superficial fascia at the junction layer for repairing large soft tissue defects in the foot has good clinical efficacy.