ObjectiveTo explore the effectiveness of iliac myocutaneous flap pedicled with deep circumflex iliac artery (DCIA) on the repair of lower limb composite defect wounds with cavity. MethodsA retrospective analysis of 7 patients with lower limb composite defect wounds treated between March 2017 and September 2020 was conducted, including 4 males and 3 females, aged 24-58 years, with a median age of 37 years. The causes of injury were machine twisting injury in 2 cases, fall from height injury in 2 cases, and traffic accident injury in 3 cases. According to Gustilo-Anderson classification, there were 1 case of type Ⅲa, 4 cases of type Ⅲb, and 2 cases of type Ⅲc (combined with anterior tibial artery rupture); according to AO/Orthopaedic Trauma Association (AO/OTA) classification, there were 2 cases of type 42-C3, 2 cases of type 43-A2, and 3 cases of type 43-B1. The time from injury to admission ranged from 2 to 10 hours, with an average of 6 hours. Tibial bone defect and surrounding soft tissue defect with deep cavity were left after primary emergency debridement. In the second stage, according to the characteristics of the wound, the three-dimensional repair of the composite defect was designed with DCIA embedded iliac myocutaneous flap. The size of the iliac flap was 2.0 cm×2.0 cm×2.0 cm to 7.0 cm×3.0 cm×2.5 cm, and the size of the flap was 12.0 cm×8.0 cm to 21.0 cm×13.0 cm. The internal oblique muscle flap was harvested in size of 3.0 cm×2.0 cm×2.0 cm to 5.5 cm×4.0 cm×4.0 cm. The donor site was primarily closed. ResultsAll the flaps survived after operation, except for 1 case of partial necrosis of the flap edge, which healed after secondary skin grafting, and the donor and recipient wounds healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 16-24 months, with an average of 18 months. The broken end of the bone defect healed well, and the healing time was 8-10 months, with an average of 7.3 months. At last follow-up, the shape of the flap was satisfactory, the texture was soft, and there was no abnormal hair growth, pigmentation, and so on. Only linear scar was left in the donor site, and no complication such as abdominal hernia occurred. According to Paley fracture healing scoring system, bone healing was rated as excellent in 5 cases and good in 2 cases. The limb function was satisfactory, and full weight bearing was achieved at 12-16 months after operation. According to the lower extremity functional scale (LEFS), 6 cases were excellent and 1 case was good. Conclusion The iliac myocutaneous flap pedicled with DCIA is flexible in design and highly free in tissue composition, which can repair the composite defect wound of lower limbs with deep cavity in a three-dimensional way, and repair the limb shape and reconstruct weight-bearing function to the greatest extent.
Objective To investigate the clinical outcome of sensory reconstruction about the functional perforator flap for repairing the complex defects on the limbs. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 21 patients with limb complex defects admitted between March 2018 and January 2023. There were 12 males and 9 females, with a median age of 36 years (range, 19-62 years). The wounds were on the upper limbs (hands) in 13 cases and the lower limbs (feet) in 8 cases. Five patients with tumor/scar, and the left defects after en-bloc resection of the tumor lesion and scar were repaired immediately. The remaining 16 cases were acute/chronic wounds, undergoing the emergent debridement and vacuum sealing drainage placement, and the left defects were repaired with flaps during second-stage operation. The size of the defects ranged from 5.5 cm×4.5 cm to 17.0 cm×12.0 cm. The donor sites were located on the thoracic and back in 4 cases, the anterior lateral thigh in 6 cases, and the feet in 11 cases. All flaps were functional perforator flaps with sensory nerve. The donor sites were closed directly or repaired with skin grafting. At last follow-up, the sensation of flap and the muscle strength of recipient site were evaluated according to the British Medical Research Council (BMRC) sensory grading (S0-S4) and muscle strength grading (M0-M5) criteria. Results Twenty flaps survived completely without significant complications, and partial edge necrosis was observed in 1 flap, which healed after the debridement and skin grafting. The donor and recipient sites healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 10-18 months (mean, 12 months). At last follow-up, the flaps with satisfactory shape and soft texture were observed, and no abnormal hair growth or pigmentation occurred. The sensation of flap was evaluated as S1 in 2 cases, S2 in 7, S3 in 9, and S4 in 3. The muscle strength of recipient site was evaluated as M2 in 4 cases, M3 in 9, M4 in 5, and M5 in 3. Only linear scars were left at the donor site. Conclusion The functional perforator flap with sensory nerve is beneficial for early sensation reconstruction for repairing the complex defects on the limbs, and could reconstruct the functional subunit structure defect in one stage. The short-term functional follow-up results are satisfactory.
