Objective To investigate the donor-site compl ications of the anterolateral thigh flap and its influencing factors. Methods Between July 1988 and July 2007, 427 patients were treated with anterolateral thigh flap. Among them, 33 patients had postoperative donor-site compl ications and their cl inical data were analyzed retrospectively. There were 21 malesand 12 females aged 14-47 years old (average 32.7 years old). The size of the wound defect ranged from 16 cm × 7 cm to 28 cm × 13 cm. The area of the flap harvested during operation ranged from 16 cm × 7 cm to 30 cm × 13 cm. The donor sites were treated by direct suture in 7 cases; free spl it-thickness skin graft in 23 cases, and reverse superficial epigastric artery flap repair in 3 cases. The size of graft in the donor site ranged from 10 cm × 5 cm to 18 cm × 8 cm. The occurrence of short-term (within 4 weeks) and long-term (over 6 months) compl ications were analyzed. Results All patients were followed up for 8-54 months (average 21 months). There were 26 patients (78.8%) with short-term and long-term compl ications and 7 patients (21.2%) with long-term compl ications. The short-term compl ications included skin graft necrosis in 23 cases (69.7%), wound infection in 17 cases (51.5%), and muscle necrosis in 2 cases (6.1%). The long-term compl ications included non-heal ing wounds in 21 cases (63.6%), serious scar in 28 cases (84.8%), discomfort in 25 cases (75.8%), and dysfunction of the quadriceps femoris in 16 cases (48.5%). Conclusion The occurrence of anterolateral thigh flap donor-site compl ications is related to the anatomical structure of the anterolateral thigh region, the surgical procedure, and the patient’s physique.
To introduce a new technique for vascular pedicle elongation in the anterolateral thigh island flap transplantation and evaluate the outcome of this technique in the clinical application. Methods From January 2003 to January 2006, 6 patients (5 males, 1 female; age, 1849 years) were admitted for surgical operation because of the soft tissue defect around the knee joint. The soft tissue defect after the injury was found in 3 patients, the defect after the removal of the softtissue tumor in 1, and the defect after the prosthetic replacement in the knee joint in 2. The soft tissue defects ranged in size of 8 cm×4 cm to 15 cm ×6 cm. When the anterolateral island flap of the thigh underwent the reverse transplantation, the ascending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery was used as a nutrient vessel for the flap, and the descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoralartery was separated to the distal part. The main trunk of the lateral circumflex femoral artery was ligated at the point that was proximal to the furcation ofthe ascending and decending branches so that the vessel pedicle of the flap could be lengthened and then the defect was repaired.The flaps ranged in size of 10cm×6 cm to 18 cm×8 cm Results All the flaps were successfullytransferred in the 6 patients. The lengthened pedicle ranged in length from 8 to 12 cm, with an average of 10 cm. There was no vascular crisis after operation. All the transferred flaps survived, with a color and texture similar to those in the recipient site. The postoperative followup for 6-18 months revealed that the motion range of the knees was satisfactory. Conclusion The vascular pedicle elongation technique can enlarge the application scope of the anterolateral thigh island flap and the survival rate of the flap is not influenced by any factor.
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.
ObjectiveTo summarize the present status and progress of vascular anatomy and preoperative design technology of the anterolateral thigh flap. MethodsThe relative researches focused on vascular anatomy and preoperative design technology of the anterolateral thigh flap were extensively reviewed, analyzed, and summarized. ResultsVascular anatomy of the anterolateral thigh flap has been reported by numerous researchers, but perforators' location, origin, course, and the variation of the quantity have been emphasized. Meanwhile, the variation of descending branch, oblique branch, and lateral circumflex femoral artery has also been widely reported. Preoperative design technology of the anterolateral thigh flap includes hand-held Doppler, Color Doppler, CT angiography (CTA), magnetic resonance angiography, digital subtraction angiography, and digital technology, among which the hand-held Doppler is most widely used, and CTA is the most ideal, but each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. ConclusionThere is multiple variation of vascular anatomy of the anterolateral thigh flap. Though all kinds of preoperative design technologies can offer strong support to operation of anterolateral thigh flap, a simple, quick, precise, and noninvasive technology is the direction of further research.
Objective To investigate the method, effectiveness, andclinical application of the anterolateral thigh perforator free flaps for reconstruction of the soft tissue defects in the head and the four limbs after tumorresection. Methods From April 2004 to April 2006, 16 patients (13 males, 3 females; aged 26-72 years) with the soft tissue defects in the head (9 patients) and the four limbs (7 patients) underwent reconstructive operations with the anterolateral thigh perforator free flaps after their tumor resection. The defects ranged in area from 8 cm×6 cm to 20 cm×13 cm in the head with the process of diseases from 6 to 24 months, and the defects ranged in area from 10 cm×7 cm to 21 cm× 12 cm in the four limbs with the process of diseases from 2 to 18 months.The technique for the anterolateral thigh perforator flap freegrafting, the degree of the injury in the donor sites, and the appearance of the donor and recipient sites, and the influence on the anatomy and function in the both local sites were analyzed. Results In the 16 patients with the soft tissue defects in the head and the four limbs after tumor resection, 14 had a primary wound healing (Stage Ⅰ), and 2 had a delayed wound healing (Stage Ⅱ) . Fifteen flaps survived completely but two flaps had a partial failure. Theflap appearance was good and smooth without any severe scarring, and there was a minimal effect on the function at the donor and recipient sites. Conclusion Because of the less morbidity at the donor site, the better result at the recipient site, and the use of the anterolateral thigh perforator flap free grafting, this kind of the technique for reconstruction of the head and fourlimb soft tissue defects after tumor resection is well acceptable.
Objective To explore the effectiveness of anterolateral thigh bridge flap with free skin graft wrapping vascular bridge in repairing complex calf soft tissue defects. Methods The clinical data of 11 patients with complex calf soft tissue defects between April 2018 and October 2021 were retrospectively analyzed, including 9 males and 2 females, aged 11-60 years, with a median age of 39 years. There were 8 cases of calf soft tissue defect caused by traffic accident, and 3 cases of calf skin infection caused by chronic osteomyelitis. The skin and soft tissue defects ranged from 10 cm×8 cm to 35 cm×10 cm after thorough debridement and accompanied with bone and tendon exposure. There was only one main vessel in calf of 9 cases and no blood vessel that could be anastomosed with the flap vessel could be found in the recipient site of 2 cases. The anterolateral thigh skin flap (the flap size ranged from 12 cm×10 cm to 37 cm×12 cm) was taken to repair the soft tissue defect. The donor site of the flap was treated with direct suture (8 cases) or partial suture followed by skin grafting (3 cases), and the vascular bridge was wrapped with medium-thickness skin graft. Results The flaps of 11 patients survived completely without necrosis, infection, and vascular crisis. The blood supply of the vascular bridge was unobstructed and the pulse was good. The color of the medium-thickness skin graft were ruddy. All 11 patients were followed up 2-40 months, with an average of 19.4 months. The flaps healed well with the surrounding tissues without obvious exudation and color difference. The flaps had normal color and temperature, good blood supply, and soft texture. The shape of the flap and calf contour were satisfactory and the function of the limb recovered well. The donor area of thigh flap healed by first intention without obvious scar formation. The donor area of skin healed well with a longitudinal oblong scar only and the appearance was satisfactory. ConclusionThe anterolateral thigh bridge flap transplantation with free skin wrapping vascular bridge is an effective method for the treatment of complex calf soft tissue defects.
ObjectiveTo investigate the application of expanded anterolateral thigh myocutaneous flap in the repair of huge chest wall defect. Methods Between August 2018 and December 2020, 12 patients, including 4 males and 8 females, were treated with expanded anterolateral thigh myocutaneous flap to repair huge complex defects after thoracic wall tumor surgery. The age ranged from 28 to 72 years, with an average of 54.9 years. There were 4 cases of phyllodes cell sarcoma, 2 cases of soft tissue sarcoma, 1 case of metastatic chest wall tumor of lung cancer, and 5 cases of breast cancer recurrence. All cases underwent 2-7 tumor resection operations, of which 3 cases had previously received lower abdominal flap transplantation and total flap failure occurred, the other 9 cases were thin and were not suitable to use the abdomen as the flap donor site. After thorough debridement, the area of secondary chest wall defect was 300-600 cm2; the length of the flap was (24.7±0.7) cm, the width of the skin island was (10.6±0.7) cm, the length of the lateral femoral muscular flap was (26.8±0.5) cm, the width was (15.3±0.6) cm, and the length of the vascular pedicle was (7.9±0.6) cm. Results The myocutaneous flaps and the skin grafts on the muscular flaps were all survived in 11 patients, and the wounds in the donor and recipient sites healed by first intention. One male patient had a dehiscence of the chest wall incision, which was further repaired by omentum combined with skin graft. The appearance of the reconstructed chest wall in 12 patients was good, the texture was satisfactory, and there was no skin flap contracture and deformation. Only linear scar was left in the donor site of the flap, and slight hyperplastic scar was left in the skin harvesting site, which had no significant effect on the function of the thigh. All patients were followed up 9-15 months, with an average of 12.6 months. No tumor recurrence was found. ConclusionThe expanded anterolateral thigh myocutaneous flap surgery is easy to operate, the effective repair area is significantly increased, and multiple flap transplantation is avoided. It can be used as a rescue means for the repair of huge chest wall defects.
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.
ObjectiveTo explore the effectiveness of free-style perforator pedicled propeller flap to repair the wound after extensive resection of skin malignant tumor on the thigh.MethodsBetween December 2016 and June 2019, 12 patients with skin malignant tumor on the thigh were treated. There were 9 males and 3 females, aged from 8 to 65 years (median, 38.5 years). The etiologies included basal cell carcinoma in 3 cases, squamous cell carcinoma in 7 cases, fibrosarcoma in 1 case, and malignant melanoma in 1 case. The disease duration ranged from 5 months to 10 years (median, 7.5 years). Color Doppler ultrasound was used to detect and mark at least one perforator vessel before operation. After extensive resection, the size of wound ranged from 5.0 cm×3.5 cm to 8.5 cm×6.5 cm. In the range of 1-3 cm from the edge of the lesion, the perforator vessels were explored again from the deep surface of the deep fascia to confirm and mark. The perforator vessel with diameter greater than 0.5 mm and closest to the edge of the lesion was taken as the rotation point of the flap. According to the wound size and shape, the free-style perforator pedicled propeller flap in size of 8.0 cm×3.5 cm to 12.5 cm×6.0 cm was designed. The wound was repaired with the big blade of the flap. The donor site was closed directly with the aid of the small blade.ResultsThe distal part of the skin flap was necrosis after operation, and healed after symptomatic treatment such as dressing change; the other flaps survived successfully and the wounds healed by first intention. All incisions at the donor site healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 5-24 months (mean, 10.2 months). During the follow-up, there was no recurrence of tumor. The flap had good elasticity and texture with no obvious swelling or scar hyperplasia, and the appearance was satisfactory; the hip and knee joint activities were normal.ConclusionBased on the extensive skin blood supply and abundant perforator vessels of the thigh, the free-style perforator pedicled propeller flap is an ideal flap for repairing small or medium wound after extensive resection of skin malignant tumor on the thigh.
Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of anterolateral thigh polyfoliate perforator flap plus pedicle with one foliate flap for repairing extremities soft tissue defect. Methods Between January 2014 and January 2017, 24 patients with extremities soft tissue defects were treated by anterolateral thigh polyfoliate perforator flap plus pedicle with one foliate flap. There were 15 males and 9 females, with a median age of 33.5 years (range, 5-64 years). Wounds located in upper limb in 8 cases, complicated with radial styloid fracture in 1 case, extensor tendon exposure in 3 cases, and brachioradialis muscle tendon exposed in 1 case. Wounds located in lower extremity in 16 cases, complicated with calcaneal or metatarsal, phalangeal fractures in 4 cases, Achilles tendon departure in 1 case, toe long extensor tendon and flexor digitorum longus tendon exposed in 8 cases. The wound area ranged from 8 cm×5 cm to 18 cm×12 cm. According to wound size, anterolateral thigh perforators were detected by conventional ultrasound Doppler (2-5 perforators). The irregular wounds were decomposed into multiple parts and the leaf number (2-4 leaves) of polyfoliate flap depended on the part number of the wound. The flap area ranged from 9 cm×6 cm to 20 cm×14 cm, and the largest area of single leaf was 24 cm×6 cm. The vascular pedicle length ranged from 7 cm to 12 cm. The foliate flap area with protecting pedicle ranged from 5 cm×3 cm to 7 cm×5 cm. Results All the flaps survived, and no vascular crisis occurred. All the patients were followed up 2-28 months (mean, 9 months). Sinus occurred in 1 case of calcaneal fracture after flap repair, and the sinus was healed after 3 months by conventional dressing. All the flaps were thin and had a good texture. Healing of soft tissue was found in 5 patients with fracture. The wrist and ankle plantar flexion and dorsiflexion function of recipient site were normal in all patients. Conclusion It is safe and reliable to repair the extremities soft tissue defect with anterolateral thigh polyfoliate perforator flap plus pedicle with one foliate flap. And it is one of the ways to reduce the vascular crisis of the anterolateral thigh free perforator flap.