Repair the complex defect of lateral side of ankle with free anterolateral thigh musculocutaneous flap / 中华显微外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the long-time clinical results and effection of free anterolateral thigh musculocutaneous flap for repairing the complex defects involving lateral or medial malleolar of the ankle and heel,especially for reconstructing stability of the ankle joints. Methods Thirteen patients with complex tissue defects,involving lateral or medial malleolar of the ankle and heel,were treated by free anterolateral thigh fasciomusculocutaneous flap.The fascia lata which was involved in the flap was fixed with the adjacent tissue of the recipient area.The descending branches of the lateral circumflex femoral vessels were anastomosed with the vessels in the recipient area.The largest area of the flap was 20 cm × 12 cm.The ankle joint was fixed in functional position with plaster in the early 3 months post-operatively.The following time ranged from 1.5 years to 20 years.The stability of the ankle joint were evatuated with the patients' objective feeling and clinical symptoms and imaging study.Results The stability of the ankle should be protected by external fixation in the early 3 months postoperatively,and was restored at 6 months usually.In all cases,ten cases were followed over 10 years,six cases were followed over 6 years,three cases were followed over 15 years.Though radiological discovering suggesting traumatic esteoarthritis exited in 3 cases with a follow-up more than 5 years,the clinical manifestations were fair and no one need undergo arthredesis. Conclusion Using ant erolateral thigh musculocutaneous flap for reconstructing the complex defects involving lateral or medial malleolar of the ankle and heel repairing stability of the joint and ovoiding off early arthrodosis of the joint is one of the favorable choice,especially for the teen-agers.