[Application of augmented reality technique in repairing soft tissue defects of lower limbs with posterior tibial artery perforator flap].

Objective: To investigate the accuracy and reliability of augmented reality (AR) technique in locating the perforating vessels of the posterior tibial artery during the repair of soft tissue defects of the lower limbs with the posterior tibial artery perforator flap. Methods: Between June 2019 and June 2022, the posterior tibial artery perforator flap was used to repair the skin and soft tissue defects around the ankle in 10 cases. There were 7 males and 3 females with an average age of 53.7 years (mean, 33-69 years). The injury was caused by traffic accident in 5 cases, bruising by heavy weight in 4 cases, and machine injury in 1 case. The size of wound ranged from 5 cm×3 cm to 14 cm×7 cm. The interval between injury and operation was 7-24 days (mean, 12.8 days). The CT angiography of lower limbs before operation was performed and the data was used to reconstruct the three-dimensional images of perforating vessels and bones with Mimics software. The above images were projected and superimposed on the surface of the affected limb using AR technology, and the skin flap was designed and resected with precise positioning. The size of the flap ranged from 6 cm×4 cm to 15 cm×8 cm. The donor site was sutured directly or repaired with skin graft. Results: The 1-4 perforator branches of posterior tibial artery (mean, 3.4 perforator branches) in 10 patients were located by AR technique before operation. The location of perforator vessels during operation was basically consistent with that of AR before operation. The distance between the two locations ranged from 0 to 16 mm, with an average of 12.2 mm. The flap was successfully harvested and repaired according to the preoperative design. Nine flaps survived without vascular crisis. The local infection of skin graft occurred in 2 cases and the necrosis of the distal edge of the flap in 1 case, which healed after dressing change. The other skin grafts survived, and the incisions healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 6-12 months, with an average of 10.3 months. The flap was soft without obvious scar hyperplasia and contracture. At last follow-up, according to the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Association (AOFAS) score, the ankle function was excellent in 8 cases, good in 1 case, and poor in 1 case. Conclusion: AR technique can be used to determine the location of perforator vessels in the preoperative planning of the posterior tibial artery perforator flap, which can reduce the risk of flap necrosis, and the operation is simple.

Application of posterior tibial artery perforator flap with great saphenous vein in treatment of forearm degloving injury and reconstruction of venous circulation of dorsal hand / 中华显微外科杂志

Objective:To explore the clinical application of the posterior tibial artery perforator flap with the great saphenous vein (GSV) in the treatment of severe degloving injury of the forearm.Methods:From June 2015 to October 2020, 5 patinets (4 males and 1 female, aged 20-46 years old, mean age 37 years old) were treated in the Department of Hand Surgery of Yantaishan Hospital in Yantai. Aposterior tibial artery perforator flap with GSV was used to repair the partial wound of the injured forearm, together with the establishment of venous circulation of dorsal hand for all 5 patients. All the patients suffered from severe forearm degloving injury. Of which, 3 accompanied with ulna radius fracture, 2 with ulnar and radial artery injury and 2 with blood supply insufficiency in the injured fingers. The sizes of soft-tissue defect were 26 cm×18 cm-32 cm×25 cm. The sizes of the posterior tibial artery perforator flap with GSV ranged from 12 cm×5 cm to 33 cm×6 cm. The anastomoses were performed on the perforating artery and the radial artery. The GSV was anastomosed with cephalic vein with bridging anastomosis to re-establish the venous circulation of dorsal hand. Combined anterolateral thigh flaps (ALTF) were used to repair the rest wound of injured limbs in 4 patients, and the combined pedicled abdominal flap was used in 1 patient. The donor site of calf flap was sutured directly, and the skin of upper limb was thinned into medium thick to cover the thigh flap donor site, which was packed with pressure dressing. Regular follow-up reviews were carried out by outpatient clinic, telephone, WeChat APP or home-visit after the operation to observe the survival of flaps, the swelling of the distal end of injured limb, functional recovery and healing at the donor site. Functional recovery was evaluated according to the Evaluation Standard of Upper Limb Partial Functional of Hand Surgery of Chinese Medical Association.Results:All the grafted flaps in 5 patients survived. Necrosis at epidermal edge occurred in 1 calf flap, and achieved secondary healing after dress changing for 4 weeks. There was neither arterial nor venous crisis in all flaps. The oedema of the hand disappeared within 4-8 weeks, with clear dermatoglyph. There was no obvious enlarged circumference of thumb and fingers. The follow-up was carried out for 8-20 months, with 11 months in average. The flaps were elastic in good colour, and full texture without pigmentation. The donor site of the calf flap showed a linear scar. No swollen was seen in the hands of the injured forearm and the feet of donor lower legs. The range of motion of phalangeal joints was good. Recovery of finger sensation achieved at S 4. The recovery of the sensation of posterior tibial artery perforator flap reached S 3 in 2 patients and S 2 in 3 patients. Assessment of the Upper Limb Function using the Standard Issued by the Hand Surgery Society of Chinese Medical Association rated excellent in 3 patients and good in 2 patients. Conclusion:The posterior tibial artery perforator flap with GSV has a reliable blood supply with a small damage to the donor site. This flap is ideal for repair of severe degloving injury of forearm and meanwhile to achieve the re-establishment of venous circulation in dorsal hand.

Repair of soft tissue defect of forefoot with free posterior tibial artery perforator flap: Report of 13 cases / 中华显微外科杂志

Objective:To investigate the clinical effect of free posterior tibial artery perforator flap in repair of forefoot soft tissue defect.Methods:From January 2017 to January 2021, a retrospective study was conducted on 13 patients with forefoot soft tissue defect, metatarsal head exposed, and forefoot transverse arch integrity, including 9 males and 4 females. The age was (40.0±13.0) years old. Cause of injury: 8 cases of traffic accident injury, 5 cases of heavy object smashing injury. Seven cases had forefoot skin defect and toe damage, and 6 cases had forefoot skin avulsion injury, open toe fracture with tendon, blood vessel and nerve injury. The wound area was 4.5 cm×3.0 cm-8.0 cm×6.0 cm. VSD treatment was performed in the first stage, and free posterior tibial artery perforator flap was used for the second stage. The flap area was 5.5 cm×4.0 cm-9.0 cm×7.0 cm. Outpatient reviews scheduled at 1, 2, 3, and 6 months after surgery, through outpatient clinic, telephone or WeChat. The flaps were evaluated according to appearance, texture, sensory recovery, and the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hind foot function scoring system.Results:All 13 flaps survived. The follow-up lasted for 6 to 24 months. The feet were in good shape, walking with weight beries, and the flaps had satisfactory appearance without wear and tear. Five cases were S 3, 6 were S 2, and 2 were S 1. According to AOFAS ankle-hindfoot function score, 4 had excellent scores, 7 were in good, and 2 in fair. Conclusion:The free posterior tibial artery perforator flap has relatively constant perforators, and the pedicle of the middle and upper perforators is longer, and the flap can build part of the sensation. Posterior artery perforator flap is a good flat for repairing the soft tissue defects of the metatarsal head of the forefoot.

Augmented reality technology combined with Doppler ultrasound in repair of soft tissue defect around ankle with posterior tibial artery perforator flap / 中华显微外科杂志

Objective:To investigate the clinical value of augmented reality (AR) technology combined with Doppler ultrasound in repairing soft tissue defects around ankle with posterior tibial artery perforator flap.Methods:From June, 2017 to June, 2020, 13 patients with soft tissue defects around ankle were repaired with the posterior tibial artery perforator flap sized 3.0 cm×7.0 cm-5.0 cm×10.0 cm. Preoperative CTA scan was performed to obtain the 3-dimensional image of the blood supply of the donor site. The origin and direction of blood supply, length of pedicle, diameter and the location of perforator were determined. An image fusion software based on Android mobile phone was used from the body surface to realize the navigation by AR, and to mark the locations of the points where blood vessels ran and passed by. At the same time, Doppler ultrasound was employed to confirm the navigation. The optimal puncture fulcrum was used as the flap rotation point in design of the flap. After the flap had been designed, the flap was harvested and the defect was repaired. Outpatient clinic follow-up was performed to evaluate the survival of flap and the function of ankle.Results:All 13 flaps survied without vascular issues. After 6-16 (average 10) months follow-up, all flaps survived. The flaps appeared soft with good blood supply. The colour of the repaired sites were basically the same as normal skin. According to American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) , the ankle function was excellent in 9 patients and good in 4 patients. There was no obvious scar formation on the donor sites.Conclusion:The application of AR technology combined with Doppler ultrasound in the surgical planning of posterior tibial artery perforator flap has advantages in easy to operate in clinical practice. It can reduce the risk of surgery, and has significance in clinical practice.

Coverage of exposed bone and hardware of the medial malleolus with tibialis posterior artery perforator flap after ankle fracture surgery complications.

Ankle fractures are among the most common orthopaedic surgical procedures. Skin-related complications of these surgeries are difficult to reconstruct due to the inadequacy of soft tissue in the region. Although free flaps are generally considered as the first choice in reconstruction of this area, free flaps may not be a suitable option especially in patients with advanced age and comorbidities. Perforator flaps offer a fast and safe alternative in lower extremity reconstruction. In the literature, there are a limited number of studies using perforator flaps in managing the postoperative complications of the lower extremity trauma surgeries. In our study, we report our experience with reconstruction of soft-tissue defects of medial malleolar region using posterior tibial artery perforator flap for postoperative complications of ankle fracture-related surgeries.

Simultaneous tracheal and esophageal reconstruction for thyroid cancer involving trachea and esophagus using a free bipaddled posterior tibial artery perforator flap.

BACKGROUND: Simultaneous tracheal and esophageal reconstruction after tumor resection is a great challenge. Here we present an innovative operative technique to simultaneously reconstruct tracheal and esophageal defects, in which a free posterior tibial artery perforator flap was made into a free bipaddled flap to cover both tracheal and esophageal defects. METHODS: A free bipaddled posterior tibial artery perforator flap was utilized to conduct simultaneous tracheal and esophageal reconstruction for a 72-year-old female patient with papillary thyroid carcinoma and massive trachea and esophagus invasion, who underwent radical resection. RESULTS: Satisfactory breathing and swallowing functions were gained independent of nasal feeding and tracheotomy. Voice was still hoarse due to tumor invasion of left recurrent laryngeal nerve. During a period of 2-year follow-up, no sign of tumor recurrence was observed. CONCLUSION: A free bipaddled posterior tibial artery perforator flap could be a decent choice for simultaneous reconstruction of large tracheal and esophageal defects.

Free posterior tibial artery perforator flap for 2-stage tracheal reconstruction in patients after resection of well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma invading the trachea.

BACKGROUND: The present study was conducted to explore the efficacy of using a free posterior tibial artery perforator flap (FPTAPF) for trachea reconstruction after resection of well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma (WDTC) invading the trachea. METHODS: We retrospectively collected and analyzed clinical and surgical data from 14 patients who underwent tracheal reconstruction using a FPTAPF after resection of WDTC invading the trachea between August 2014 and July 2017. RESULTS: Satisfactory tracheal structure and functional recovery were obtained in 11 of the 14 patients. One patient had breathing difficulties after tracheostomy closure tests because of bilateral recurrent laryngeal nerve damage caused by disease invasion. Tracheostomy incision was not closed in 2 patients because they received postoperative adjuvant radioactive iodine 131 treatment. CONCLUSION: Satisfactory tracheal reconstruction results were achieved in patients with resection of WDTC invading the trachea, indicating that a FPTAPF is a safe and reliable choice for management.

Anatomic basis and clinical application of perforator flap thinning of posterior tibial artery / 中华显微外科杂志

Objective To explore the anatomic basis of the thinning of the free posterior tibial artery perforator flaps and the clinical effect of repairing wound on hand or foot due to trauma.Methods From November,2016 to December,2017,10 cases of lower extremity cadaver specimens perfused with red ralex were dissected,which were perfused through the amputated femoral artery.Five of them were left and the rest were right.All cases were males.The number,diameter,branches and distribution of the perforator was observed.From September,2012 to September,2017,there were 13 cases of clinical application,which were 5 cases of hand wound and 8 cases of foot wound.The size of the wound was 3.0 cm × 2.0 cm to 6.0 cm × 4.0 cm,and the flap area was 3.5 cm × 2.2 cm to 6.5 cm × 4.5 cm.The repairing procedure was suitable for the wound associated with tendon,bone,joint capsule exposure.Results The number of posterior tibial artery perforating branches that more than 0.50 mm in diameter was 4 to 6,and the mean diameter was (0.87±0.26) mm.The perforating branch penetrated into the fat layer and was divided into 3 layers of vascular network:deep fat vascular network,superficial fat vascular network and subdermal vascular network.The perforating branch was located according to the positional relationship from deep to shallow,and vessel diameter become smaller step by step.The perforating branch trunk gave off branches to the deep vascular network,and the superficial vascular network had the same origin or shared with the deep blood vessels.The subdermal vascular network issued from the superficial vascular network or directly from the perforating branch trunk.There was no or few communicating branch between the deep vascular network and superficial ones,besides the vessel pedicle.So trimming deep fat layer will not affect the blood supply of superficial vascular network and neither will affect the flap blood supply.Most of the deep fat tissue was trimmed in 13 cases.The superficial and subdermal fat vascular network was preserved,and the same to the trunk and branches of the pedicle.All the flaps survived.Of which,1 appeared arterial crisis on the 2nd day after operation,and relieved by the local injection of papaverine.There was 1 case of venous crisis on the 3rd day,and improved by stitches,local release of congestion.Followed-up time was ranged from 2 to 12 months.All flaps were soft with good blood supply and good appearance,and did not need a second thinning surgery.Flaps restored the protective feeling 6 months later.Conclusion The microdissection of perforator flap of posterior tibial artery provides a theoretical basis for the perforator flap thinning,and the thinning of perforator flap is a good method to repair the appearance and function of the wound after foot and hand injuries.

Versatility and "flap efficiency" of pedicled perforator flaps in lower extremity reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: The use of pedicled perforator flaps provides an alternative to free tissue transfer for lower limb reconstruction. We use computer-aided image analysis to investigate the versatility of pedicled perforator flaps for the reconstruction of lower limb defects. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between April 2007 and April 2011, a case series of 61 patients with wounds of the lower extremity from knee to ankle were reconstructed with pedicled perforator flaps. We performed 16 pedicled reverse-flow anterolateral thigh (RF-ALT) flaps, 8 pedicled medial sural artery perforator (MSAP) flaps, 26 pedicled peroneal artery perforator (PAP) flaps, and 11 pedicled posterior tibial artery perforator (PTAP) flaps. Digital planimetry of defects covered was analyzed and the "efficiency" of each flap was calculated, which allowed the assessment of the merits of each flap in the management of lower limb defects. RESULTS: Flaps healed primarily in 82% of cases (50/61). Approximately 50% of the secondary donor sites required skin grafting. Complications requiring secondary surgery occurred in 18% (11/61) of the cases. Six required secondary skin grafting (10%). One RF-ALT flap was converted into a free flap, one PAP required arterial supercharging, and three pedicled RF-ALT flaps required venous supercharging. Image analysis showed that these pedicled perforator flaps could cover 75% of the surface area of the lower leg. The higher length of perforator allowed for greater "flap efficiency" and better versatility of tissue cover. CONCLUSION: Image analysis can be used as a modality to assess the versatility of individual flaps in the reconstruction of lower limb defects.

Freestyle perforator flaps: an innovative approach to soft tissue reconstruction.

Resurfacing of soft tissue defects consequent to skin cancer, melanoma, or sarcoma excision in different anatomical districts represents a difficult challenge for the plastic surgeon. Classic reconstructive procedures are frequently charged by unsatisfactory results. The introduction of perforator flaps in the clinical practice represented a revolution in the field of reconstructive plastic surgery. The technique further evolved with the introduction of the freestyle concept, allowing one to harvest a skin flap from any region of the body where an appropriate and detectable Doppler signal is present and to resurface soft tissue defects mobilizing the surrounding tissues, which present similar features compared with the recipient site in terms of color and texture, on a consistent vascular source and in a tension-free manner. The authors present their personal approach to the reconstruction of soft tissue defects after excision for a basal cell carcinoma involving the medial tibial region.

Improved anatomical study in posterior tibial artery perforator flaps / 中华显微外科杂志

Objective To explore a modified technique of perforator flap anatomical study,in an attempt to understand the vascular territory of the specific perforator vessel in flaps,and determined its application in posterior tibial artery perforator flaps.Methods From October,2013 to October,2014,6 corpse were used in this study.A full-thickness posterior tibial artery perforator flap was excised from the crus of a fresh adult corpse.The anatomical measurements were synchronized with the procedure.The isolated skin flaps were fixed in a frame made of silk screen and batten and subsequently photographed.In vitro skin flaps were divided into 3 groups:full-thickness,without deep fascia,and without subcutaneous adipose layer.The skin flaps were perfused with barium sulfate silicone,and photographed using mammography after coagulation of the silicone.The imaging data were processed by digital software system.Results The mean number of posterior tibial artery perforators in the lower medial leg was 4.17 ± 0.94.The projection points of perforated sites were located in the area 2-3 cm lateral to the A-C line.The proximal border was (4.51 ± 1.84)cm distal to the plane of tibial medial condyle;the distal border reached the medial malleolus plane;and the anterior and posterior borders reaching the anterior and posterior midline of the crus respectively.And according to the comparison of the 3 group processed images,vascular territory change could be obtained.And this could provid clinicians with reliable anatomical information,guiding the acquisition and trimming of perforator flaps.Conclusion The modified strategy intuitively indicated the blood vascular areas of different artery perforator flaps of varying thickness and the vascular branches as well as their courses.The approach is profoundly significant in guiding the acquisition of skin flaps and for the trimming and reconstruction of flaps.The deep fascia of posterior tibial artery perforator flaps plays a negligible role in the blood supply of flaps.Furthermore,the subcutaneous adipose tissues in the distal portion of flaps can be thinned appropriately,with limited vascular consequences.