Objective To study the influence of the pedicle length on the perforator flaps in hemodynamics. Methods Four mature swine (2 males, 2 females; weight, 23.0±2.0 kg) were applied to the experiment.Two transverse abdominal skin flaps, based on the superior epigastric pedicle orits rectus abdominal muscle perforators, were designed; each swine was used as its own control. At 2 hours and 1, 2, 3 weeks postoperatively, the skin paddle perfusion and the blood stream velocity in the superior epigastric artery were measured by the Laser Doppler Flowmeter and the Color Doppler Ultrasound, respectively. Flap survival percentages were calculated by the grid method at 1 week postoperatively. The swine were euthanatized, and they underwent angiography at 3 weeks postoperatively. Results At 2 hours and 1 week after operation, edema of the perforator flaps with the superior epigastric pedicle was more severe than that of the skin flaps with the rectus abdominal muscle perforator, and the skin perfusion had a statistical difference between the two kindsof flaps (Plt;0.05). The skin paddle viability and the skin perfusion had nostatistical difference after the first week postoperatively (Pgt;0.05). At 2hours and 1 week after operation, the blood stream velocity in the superior epigastric artery in the perforator flap with the superior abdominal artery pediclewas reduced, and there was a statistical difference between the two kinds of flaps (Plt;0.05); however, the velocity was almost the same after the first week postoperatively. Conclusion The excessively long pedicle of the perforator skin flap may have an unfavorable influence on the flap perfusion,especially during the first week after operation, because of the vascular compromise during the dissection of the long pedicle. The blood vessel anastomosis atthis level of the blood vessels may have no relationship with the perforator flap in hemodynamics. This study can also indicate that the ligation of the branches in the recipient vessels cannot make the perforator flaps overperfused.
ObjectiveTo study the digital anatomy and application value of the thoracic dorsal artery based on CT angiography (CTA). MethodsBetween September 2012 and June 2014, aorta CTA images were chosen from 10 cases (20 sides) undergoing aorta CTA. By using Mimics 17.0 software for three dimensional (3D) reconstruction of image post-processing, the digital vascular anatomical information were obtained after observing and measuring the origin of the thoracic dorsal artery, the number of perforators, type, inner diameter, and pedicle length; and the body surface location of perforator vessel was determined, and then the thoracic dorsal artery perforators tissue flap harvesting was simulated. Results3D reconstruction images showed that the thoracic dorsal artery originated from subscapular artery, 76 perforator vessels were found, including 32 perforators (42.1%) from the medial branch of the thoracic dorsal artery and 44 perforators (57.9%) from the lateral branch of the thoracic dorsal artery, of which 69 were intramuscular perforators (90.8%) and 7 were direct skin artery (9.2%). The inner diameter of the thoracic dorsal artery was (1.69±0.23) mm, and its pedicle length was (2.12±0.64) cm. The first lateral perforator of the thoracic dorsal artery located at (1.65±0.42) cm above the horizontal line of the inferior angle of scapula and at (1.68±0.31) cm lateral to vertical line of the inferior angle of scapula. The first medial perforator located at (1.43 ±0.28) cm above the horizontal line of the inferior angle of scapula and at (1.41±0.28) cm lateral to vertical line of the inferior angle of scapula. The thoracic dorsal artery perforators flap harvesting was successfully simulated. ConclusionCTA is a more intuitive method to study the thoracic dorsal artery in vivo, it can clearly display 3D information of the main blood supply artery course and distribution after flap reconstruction, so it can effectively and accurately guide the design of the flap.
Objective To introduce the new progress of perforator flaps as an new reconstruction technique. Methods The literature both at home and abroad was reviewed, and the research findings of different perforator flaps were summarized. Results The advantage of perforator flaps versus musculocutaneous flaps was the reduced morbidity of the donor site with preservation of the nerves, muscles and deep fascia. The postoperative complications at donor sites reduced. Conclusion Perforator flap was the new and reliable technique forreconstructionof tissue defect and may be one of the primary choices in the future.
Objective To investigate the effectiveness of high frequency color Doppler ultrasound for detecting perforators in the anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap surgery. Methods Between February 2011 and July 2012, 8 patients underwent high frequency color Doppler ultrasound to detect the perforator anatomy before ALT flap surgery. There were 5 males and 3 females, aged 21-46 years (mean, 34 years). Defects were caused by excision of squamous cell carcinoma in 2 cases, by scalp avulsion in 2 cases, by soft tissue necrosis after neck trauma in 1 case, by excision of groin fibrosarcoma in 1 case, by excision of groin melanoma in 1 case, and by malformation of the face in 1 case. The defect size varied from 12 cm × 7 cm to 22 cm × 18 cm. The perforator with wider caliber, faster flow speed, and shorter intramuscular trajectory was selected, and the flap was designed according to the observed results, which size varied from 14 cm × 9 cm to 25 cm × 20 cm. The donnor sites were repaired by free skin graft. Results Totally, 19 perforators in the flap area were detected by high frequency color Doppler ultrasound, and 18 were identified during operation, with an accuracy rate of 94.7%. The point going out muscle, the travel and direction of perforators observed during operation were basically in accordance with those detected by high frequency color Doppler ultrasound. The other flaps survived, and obtained healing by first intention except 1 flap which had partial fat necrosis with healing by second intention. The skin graft at donor site survived. All patients followed up 4-16 months (mean, 8 months). The flaps had good color and texture. Conclusion High frequency color Doppler ultrasound is a valuable imaging modality for the preoperative assessment of the vascular supply for ALT flap.
Objective To investigate the anatomic variations of the perforator vessels of anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap and the clinical indications. Methods From March 1985 to August 2004, the anterolateral thigh flapgraft was performed in 112 patients. The clinical data were analyzed. There were 67 males and 45 females, aging from 5 to 65 years with an average of 38.5 years. According to recipient site condition, four methods of flap harvesting were as follows:① 78 received free fasciocutaneous flaps;② 22 received free adipofascial flaps;③ 5 received pedicled island fasciocutaneous flaps; ④ 7 received pedicled reverse-flow island fasciocutaneous flaps. Facial, neck, breast, extremityjoint, plantar, and perineum defects were repaired and the effectiveness and donor site morbidity were evaluated. Results The blood supply of ALT flap came from the descending branch or transverse branch of the lateral circumflex femoralartery. The skin vessels were found to be septocutaneous perforators in 33% of flaps and to be musculocutaneous perforators in 77% of flaps. Of 112 flaps, 107 survived completely, the survival rate was 95.6% with little donor site morbidity. Conclusion ALT flap is a versatile softtissue flap. If refined to perforator flap, it can achieve better results in reconstructing defect and minimizing donor-site morbidity.
Objective To investigate the method and effectiveness of perforator flaps in repairing soft tissue defects of extremities. Methods Between June 2002 and December 2009, 81 patients with soft tissue defect of extremities were treated. There were 69 males and 12 females with an average age of 54 years (range, 13-75 years). Defect causes were injury in 35 cases (the disease duration ranged from 1 hour to 45 days), tumor resection in 19 cases, and scar resection in 27 cases. The defect located at limb and foot in 56 cases, forearm and hand in 25 cases. The defect size ranged from 3 cm × 3 cm to 23 cm × 18 cm. The perforator flaps included the peroneal artery perforator flap in 26 cases, the radial artery perforator flap in 18 cases, the medial plantar artery perforator flap in 18 cases, and the lateral circumflex femoral artery perforator flap in 19 cases. The flap size ranged from 4 cm × 3 cm to 25 cm × 18 cm. The donor site was sutured directly or repaired by free skin graft. Results Partial necrosis of the flaps occurred in 4 cases at 3-7 days after operation, then the flap survived after expectant treatment. The other flaps and free skin grafts survived successfully, and the incisions healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 1 to 16 months with an average of 9 months. The appearance, texture, and colour of the flaps were similar to those of the donor site. Conclusion It is an effective method to use the perforator flap for repairing soft tissue defect of the extremities.
Objective To investigate a best method of obtaining the sural neurofasciocutaneous flap by observing the models of different pedicles based sural neurofasciocutaneous flaps in rabbits and the effect of different pedicles on the survival of the flaps. Methods Forty adult New Zealand rabbits (male or female, weighing 2.5-3.0 kg) were randomly divided into 4 groups (10 rabbits in each). The flaps of 7 cm × 1 cm were designed at the lateral hind legs, and the pedicle was 0.5 cmin length. In group A, the flaps were elevated based on a single perforator pedicle; in group B, the flaps were elevated based on fascia pedicle; in group C, the flaps were elevated based on perforator-plus fascia pedicle; and in group D, the flaps were elevated and sutured in situ. At 7 days after operation, the flap survival rate was recorded, and the blood flow in the center of the flap was monitored by laser doppler flowmetry. The perfusion unit (PU) was measured. Results After operation, the flaps had no obvious swell ing, and the flaps had good color at the proximal end, but pale at the distal end in groups A and B. Obvious swell ing was observed with pale color at the distal flaps in group C, but swell ing decreased gradually. However, the skin color became dark gradually in group D after operation. The flap survival rates were 74.0% ± 2.7%, 60.0% ± 2.5%, 75.0% ± 3.5%, and 0 in groups A, B, C, and D respectively after 7 days of operation. The PU values were 83.39 ± 4.25, 28.96 ± 13.49, 81.85 ± 5.93, and 8.10 ± 3.36 in groups A, B, C, and D respectively. There were significant differences in flap survival rates and PU values between groups A, B, C and group D (P lt; 0.05). Significant differences were found between groups A, C and group B (P lt; 0.05), but no significant difference between group A and group C (P gt; 0.05). Conclusion The sural neurofasciocutaneous flap based on a single perforator pedicle has a rel iable blood supply and enough venous drainage, which is one of the best methods to obtain the sural neurofasciocutaneous flap.
Objective To evaluate the clinical outcomes of free perforator flaps combined with skin graft for reconstruction of ankle and foot soft tissue defects. Methods Between June 2014 and October 2015, 20 cases of ankle and foot soft tissue defects were treated. There were 16 males and 4 females, aged from 19 to 61 years (mean, 43.3 years). Injury was caused by traffic accident in 7 cases, by crashing in 9 cases, and machine twist in 4 cases. The locations were the ankle in 6 cases, the heel in 3 cases, the dorsum pedis in 4 cases, and the plantar forefoot in 7 cases of avulsion injury after toes amputation. The size of wound ranged from 15 cm×10 cm to 27 cm×18 cm. The time from injury to treatment was from 11 to 52 days (mean, 27 days). The anterolateral thigh perforator flap was used in 11 cases, thoracodorsal antery perforator flap in 3 cases, medial sural artery perforator flap in 4 cases, deep inferior epigastric perforator flap in 1 case, and anteromedial thigh perforator flap in 1 case, including 5 chimeric perforator flaps, 5 polyfoliate perforator flaps, 3 flow-through perforator flaps, and 3 conjoined perforator flaps. The size of the perforator flap ranged from 10.0 cm×6.5 cm to 36.0 cm×8.0 cm, the size of skin graft from 5 cm×3 cm to 18 cm×12 cm. Results Venous crisis occurred in 2 flaps which survived after symptomatic treatment; 18 flaps survived successfully and skin grafting healed well. The follow-up time ranged 4-18 months (mean, 8.3 months). The flaps had good appearance, texture and color, without infection. The patients could walk normally and do daily activities. Only linear scars were observed at the donor sites. Conclusion Free perforator flap can be used to reconstruct defects in the ankle and foot, especially in the weight-bearing area of the plantar forefoot. A combination of free perforator flap and skin graft is ideal in reconstruction of great soft tissue defects in the ankle and foot.
Objective To investigate the effectiveness of the perforator-based propeller flaps (PPFs) based on digital artery (DA) and dorsal metacarpal artery (DMA) in repairing hand wounds. Methods The clinical data of 45 patients with hand wounds between January 2018 and March 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 27 males and 18 females with an average age of 41.2 years (range, 14-72 years). The causes of injury included twist injury in 15 cases, crush injury in 19 cases, and cut injury in 11 cases. The injured parts included 32 cases of digits, 10 cases of dorsal hand, and 3 cases of palmar hand, all of which had tendon, joint, and bone exposure. The time from injury to operation ranged from 2 to 8 hours (mean, 4.3 hours). The wound sizes after debridement ranged from 1.8 cm×1.0 cm to 5.0 cm×3.5 cm. Twenty-eight cases were repaired by the PPFs based on DA and 17 cases were repaired by the PPFs based on DMA. The flap size ranged from 2.5 cm×1.1 cm to 8.5 cm×4.0 cm. The defects of the donor sites in 14 patients were closed directly and the defects in the left 31 patients were resurfaced with free full-thickness skin graft from the proximal medial forearm.Results All the flaps survived after operation. Two cases of the PPF based on DA and 1 case of the PPF based on DMA underwent partially blisters at the distal end and healed after dressing change. The incisions in the donor site healed by first intention and the skin grafts survived. All patients were followed up 10-33 months, with a mean of 15.4 months. At last follow-up, the static two-point discrimination of the PPFs based on DA and DMA were 4-14 mm and 8-20 mm with the averages of 8.1 mm and 13.3 mm, respectively. According to the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire, 20 patients were very satisfied with the appearance of the PPF based on DA and 8 patients were satisfied; 8 patients were very satisfied with the appearance of the PPF based on DMA and 9 patients were satisfied. Based on the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS), the appearance scores of the donor site of the PPFs based on DA and DMA were 2-7 and 4-9, with the averages of 4.2 and 6.1, respectively. ConclusionThe two kinds of PPFs are reliable in blood supply and easy to harvest, which provide a good method for emergency repair of small and medium area wounds in the hand.
Objective To explore the effect of the intensive CT on the deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap design strategy. Methods From June 2007 to March 2008, 7 patients received reconstructive operation of the vertical DIEP flap, among whom there were 5 females with congenital absence of vagina and 2 males with peno-scrotal Paget’s disease,aged 18-62 years old. Before the operation, the intensive CT scans were appl ied to all the petients in search for DIEP. The flaps were designed according to the radiological findings. The scrotum and penis defects were reconstructed in 2 cases and vaginal reconstruction was performed in 5 cases. The flap dimension ranged from 15 cm × 7 cm to 22 cm × 5 cm. The donor site was closed directly. Results A total of 10 ideal perforating branches of all the 7 DIEP flaps were found before the operation, with the diameter of over 1.5 mm. Of the 7 flaps, 4 had 1 perforating branch and the other 3 had 2 perforating branches. All 7 flaps survived completely. The incisions of 6 patients obtained heal ing by first intention. Only 1 patient with Paget’s disease had erosion at the scrotum incision and partial necrosis 7 days after the operation, and then healed after discontinuous dressing change. The incisions at the donor site obtained heal ing by first intension. Two patients complained about draw-off at the lower abdomen on the operated side, which was basically rel ieved at 7 days after the operation. All patients were followed up for 1 to 10 months (4.5 months on average). No operation-related compl ication was observed after operation. Six patients were satisfied with the reconstructive results. Only 1 patient was dissatisfied with the buried pennies and requested a revision. Conclusion The intensive CT scans play an important role in the DIEP flap design. It can not only make the flap safer, but also decrease operation time and improve efficiency.