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 investigate the method of combining radial forearm free flap and adjacent tissue flap in reconstruction of palatomaxillary defects and its effectiveness. Methods Between March 2005 and May 2010, 17 patients with palatomaxillary defects were treated. There were 11 males and 6 females with an age range of 45-74 years (mean, 62.5 years), including 1 case of benign tumor and 16 cases of malignant tumors (7 cases of squamous cell carcinoma of palate, 1 case of recurring squamous cell carcinoma of palate, 1 case of malignant melanoma of palate, 1 case of adenoid cystic carcinoma of palate, 1 case of malignant melanoma of maxilla, 1 case of ductal carcinoma of maxilla, and 4 cases of squamous cell carcinoma of maxilla). The maxillectomy defect ranged from 7.0 cm × 5.5 cm to 10.0 cm × 7.5 cm. According to Brown’s classification for the maxillectomy defect, there were type II in 15 cases, type III in 2 cases. Palatomaxillary defects were repaired with radial forearm free flap and buccal fat pad in 11 cases, and with radial forearm free flap, buccal fat pad, and mandibular osteomuscular flap pedicled with temporal muscle in 6 cases. The effectiveness was evaluated after operation by observing the vitality of the flap, the functions of speech, swallowing, breath, and the facial appearance. Results All cases were followed up 6-12 months without tumor recurrence. All flaps and skin grafts at donor sites survived. The functions of seech, swallowing, and breath were normal without obvious opening limitation. The facial appearance was satisfactory without obvious maxillofacial deformity. No enophthalmos occurred in patients with orbital floor and infraorbital rim defects. The patients had no oronasal fistula with satisfactory oral and nasal functions. Conclusion According to the type of palatomaxillary defects, it can have good early effectiveness to select combining radial forearm free flap and buccal fat pad or combining radial forearm free flap, buccal fat pad, and mandibular osteomuscular flap for repairing defects.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness of free anterolateral thigh flap in repairing hand twist trauma combined with forearm main vascular injury.MethodsBetween February 2016 and March 2020, 14 patients with hand twist trauma combined with forearm main vascular injury were admitted. There were 10 males and 4 females. The mean age was 36.3 years (range, 22-53 years). There were 5 cases with left hand and 9 cases with right hand. The degloving injury of hand was rated as type ⅢA in 2 cases, type ⅢB in 9 cases, and type Ⅳ in 3 cases. The size of soft tissue defects range from 8.0 cm×4.5 cm to 13.5 cm×8.0 cm. Of all patients, 11 cases were ulnar artery injury and 3 cases were radial artery injury. Time from injury to operation was 2-16 hours (mean, 7.1 hours). The free anterolateral thigh flaps with the size of 10.0 cm×5.5 cm to 15.0 cm×9.5 cm were used to repair the soft tissue defects with the “T” shape anastomosis of blood vessel in 8 cases or direct anastomosis of blood vessel in 6 cases. The donor sites were directly sutured in 9 cases and repaired with free skin graft in 5 cases.ResultsAll patients were followed up 6-12 months (mean, 10.5 months). The vascular crisis occurred in 1 case and the flap survived with symptomatic treatment after operation. Other flaps survived and the wounds healed by first intention. All donor sites healed by first intention and the skin grafts survived. Three cases underwent the fat-free trimming at 4-5 months after operation. According to the evaluation standard of the upper limb part of the Chinese Medical Association, the hand function was evaluated as excellent in 4 cases, good in 7 cases, and fair in 3 cases, with an excellent and good rate of 78.6% at last follow-up.ConclusionBecause the diameter of the descending branch of the lateral femoral circumflex artery is similar to that of the ulnar artery and radial artery, the use of free anterolateral thigh flap can not only repair the wound and obtain a good hand shape, but also repair blood vessels and promote recovery of hand function.
ObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness of lateral circumflex femoral artery chimeric flap transplantation in repair of complex wounds of foot and ankle.MethodsA retrospective study was conducted to analyze the clinical data of 20 patients with complex wounds of foot and ankle treated with lateral circumflex femoral artery chimeric flap between June 2017 and June 2020. There were 14 males and 6 females with an average age of 42.8 years (range, 21-65 years). Among them, 8 cases had dorsalis pedis tendon defect with or without bone exposure, 4 cases had partial or total Achilles tendon defect without bone exposure, and 8 cases had deep cavity and bone exposure. The wound area ranged from 10 cm×6 cm to 21 cm×11 cm. The time from injury to operation ranged from 6 to 22 days, with an average of 9.4 days. The lateral femoral circumflex artery flap was used in 6 cases with fascia lata flap, 6 cases with rectus femoris aponeurosis flap, and 8 cases with lateral femoral muscle flap. The flap area ranged from 12.0 cm×6.5 cm to 35.0 cm×7.5 cm. All flap donor sites were sutured directly. The survival, appearance, texture, sensation of the flap, and complications of the donor site were observed. The foot and ankle function was evaluated by Kofoed score.ResultsAll patients were followed up 8-24 months (mean, 14.2 months). On the 3rd day after operation, 1 case had partial necrosis of 1 flap with fascia lata flap and healed after dressing change; 1 case of chimeric muscle flap developed venous crisis at 12 hours after operation; the chimeric flaps survived successfully in the other 18 patients and the wounds were primary healing. The color and texture of the flaps were good, the flaps recovered protective sensation. Only linear scar remained in the donor site of thigh. There was no sensory disturbance around the incision or walking disturbance. The Kofoed score of the foot and ankle function at last follow-up was 75-96, with an average of 89.8. Among them, 15 cases were excellent, 4 cases were good, and 1 case was qualified. The excellent and good rate was 95.0%.ConclusionThe application of lateral circumflex femoral artery chimeric flap can accurately and stereoscopically repair the complex wounds of foot and ankle and achieve satisfactory effectiveness.
ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical anatomy and application of free profunda femoral artery pedicled chimeric myocutaneous perforator flap in the defect reconstruction after radical resection of tongue carcinoma. MethodsBetween April 2011 and January 2016, 44 cases of tongue carcinoma underwent radical resection, and tongue defects were reconstructed by free profunda femoral artery pedicled chimeric myocutaneous perforator flaps at the same stage. There were 40 males and 4 females, with a mean age of 46.3 years (range, 32-71 years). The pathologic type was squamous cell carcinoma, which involved the lingual margin in 24 cases, the ventral tongue in 17 cases, and the mouth floor in 3 cases. According to Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) TNM staging, 16 cases were rated as T4N0M0, 11 cases as T4N1M0, 9 cases as T3N1M0, and 8 cases as T3N2M0. The course of disease ranged from 1 to 22 months (mean, 8.6 months). The size of perforator flap ranged from 8.5 cm×4.0 cm to 12.0 cm×6.5 cm, and the size of muscle flap ranged from 4.0 cm×3.0 cm to 7.5 cm×5.0 cm. The adductor magnus myocutaneous flap with a pedicle of (8.3±0.5) cm was used in 11 cases, and the gracilis muscle myocutaneous flap with a pedicle of (8.1±0.8) cm was used in 33 cases. The donor sites were sutured directly. ResultsAll 44 perforator flaps survived uneventfully, and the donor site healed well. The patients were followed up for 12 to 40 months (mean, 23.8 months). The reconstructed tongue had good appearance and function in swallowing and language. No local recurrence was found. Only linear scar was left at the donor sites. ConclusionThe free profunda femoral artery pedicled chimeric myocutaneous perforator flap can be harvested in various forms, and is an ideal choice to reconstruct defect after radical resection of tongue carcinoma.
Objective To investigate the clinical outcome of free thoracoacromial artery perforator (TAAP) flap in the reconstruction of tongue and mouth floor defects after radical resection of tongue carcinoma. Methods Between May 2010 and February 2015, 11 cases of tongue carcinoma underwent radical resection and reconstruction of tongue and mouth floor defects with free TAAP flaps. The locations of tongue carcinoma were the lingual margin in 7 cases, the ventral tongue in 2 cases, and the mouth floor in 2 cases. According to Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) TNM stage, 3 cases were classified as T4N0M0, 3 cases as T4NlM0, 2 cases as T3N1M0, 2 cases as T3N2M0, and 1 case as T3N0M0. The disease duration ranged from 3 to 28 months, 10.6 months on average. The tumor size ranged from 6.0 cm×3 cm to 10 cm×5 cm. The TAAP flap ranged from 7.0 cm×4.0 cm to 11.0 cm×5.5 cm in size, and 0.6-1.2 cm (0.8 cm on average) in thickness, with a pedicle length of 6.8-9.9 cm (7.2 cm on average). Results All 11 flaps survived, the donor site was closed directly and healed primarily in all cases. The patients were followed up 12-24 months (17.2 months on average). The reconstructed tongue had satisfactory appearance and good functions of swallowing and language. No local recurrence was observed during follow-up. Only linear scar was left at the donor site, and the function of pectoralis major muscle was normal. Conclusion The TAAP flap is an ideal choice in the reconstruction of tongue defect after resection of tongue carcinoma, which has good texture, appearance, and function results.
ObjectiveTo explore the feasibility of reconstruction of phonatory function by using a tubular free flap from upper-lateral upper arm to repair the laryngotracheal circumferential defect after near-total laryngectomy for laryngeal cancer. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 7 patients who underwent near-total laryngectomy between June 2021 and October 2023, aged from 48 to 70 years (median, 59 years), 6 males and 1 female. The disease duration ranged from 1 to 11 months, with a median of 6 months. Pathological diagnosis of preoperative biopsy was squamous cell carcinoma. Tumor classification: glottic type in 5 cases, supraglottic type in 1 case, transglottic type in 1 case; TNM staging: T4N0M0 in 6 cases, T4N2M0 in 1 case; American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging in 2017 was stage Ⅳ. Preoperative MRI angiography of upper arm was performed to investigate the blood supply in the upper and lateral regions of the upper arm. After near-total laryngectomy and bilateral neck lymph node dissection, the area of the laryngotracheal defect was measured. A free flap measuring 7.0 cm×5.0 cm to 8.0 cm×7.0 cm was harvested from the upper-lateral upper arm, rolled into a tube shape, and connected between the stump of the cervical trachea in the neck root and that of the epiglottis at the tongue base. Four patients received adjuvant radiochemotherapy, 1 patient received radiochemotherapy and targeted therapy, 2 patients adopted no further adjuvant treatment. Results All 7 patients were followed-up 1-2 years (mean, 1 year and 3 months). Four patients had primary wound healing, 2 patients had minor pharyngeal fistulas that healed after dressing change, 1 patient experienced pharyngeal fistula because of flap necrosis and the wound still healed without secondary surgery. All patients took food orally within 1 month after operation, and the tracheal cannula was retained. Six patients with survived flap gradually adapted to their new pronunciation mode and obtained satisfactory phonatory function from 15 days to 2 months after operation. Four patients had slight aspiration after operation. Till the end of the follow-up, all patients survived and no local recurrence or distant metastasis had been observed. The motor function of the upper arm was not affected, only partial sensory loss occurred in the area near the incision. The scar of the incision could be covered by the short sleeve so as to obtain a better aesthetic effect. ConclusionUsing a tubular free flap from upper-lateral upper arm to repair the laryngotracheal circumferential defect after near-total laryngectomy for laryngeal cancer can achieve satisfactory phonatory restoration while preserve the motor function and aesthetics of the donor site.
ObjectiveTo observe the effectiveness of the forearm free arterialized venous flap in repairing soft tissue defect of the hand. MethodsBetween December 2008 and January 2013, 49 cases of soft tissue defects of the hand were treated. There were 39 males and 10 females, aged 16-52 years (mean, 34 years). Defect was caused by crush injury in 34 cases, cutting injury in 7 cases, avulsion injury in 5 cases, and hot crush injury in 3 cases. The locations were index finger in 21 cases, middle finger in 14 cases, ring finger in 10 cases, little finger in 1 case, and the first web space and the dorsal palm in 3 cases. The duration of injury and admission was 2-10 hours (mean, 4.5 hours). The size of defects ranged from 2.5 cm×1.5 cm to 6.0 cm×4.5 cm. Of them, 46 cases had fracture of metacarpal or finger bone and/or injury of tendon and nerve. Emergency operation was performed in 43 cases and selective operation in 6 cases. All defects were repaired by free arterialized venous flap from the ipsilateral forearm, in which the proximal ends of veins were anastomosed to artery and vein of the finger. The flap size ranged from 3.5 cm×2.5 cm to 7.5 cm×5.3 cm. The donor site was directly sutured. ResultsSeven flaps survived which was similar to physiological free flap. Mild or medium swelling and blister were observed in 39 flaps and heavy swelling and partial necrosis occurred in 3 flaps after operation. The patients were followed up 6 months-2 years (mean, 13.5 months). The flaps had soft texture, slightly bulky appearance, and deeper color than normal skin. At last follow-up, the two-point discrimination was 16-22 mm (mean, 20 mm). According to the standard for functional evaluation issued by Hand Surgery Association of Chinese Medical Association, the results were excellent in 21 cases, good in 21 cases, fair in 3 cases, and poor in 4 cases. ConclusionIt is an ideal method to repair soft tissue defect of the hand to use forearm free arterialized venous flap. It has the advantages of massive area, no major blood vessel needed to be sacrificed, safe and easy operation, and satisfactory appearance.
Objective To investigate the effectiveness of free latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap transplantation combined with external fixation in the treatment of bone and soft tissue defects around the knee joint. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 13 patients with high-energy trauma-induced bone and soft tissue defects around the knee joint admitted between January 2016 and July 2023. Among them, 11 were male and 2 were female, the age ranged from 23 to 61 years, with an average of 35.7 years. The causes of injury included 10 cases of traffic accident, 2 cases of machine entanglement injury, and 1 case of heavy object crush injury. According to the Gustilo-Anderson classification, 11 cases were type Ⅲ B and 2 cases were type Ⅲ C. Post-injury, 2 cases had wound infection and 2 cases had popliteal artery injury. The time from injury to flap repair was 40-49 days, with an average of 27.5 days. The wound size was 18 cm×13 cm to 32 cm×20 cm, all accompanied by distal femoral bone defects and quadriceps muscle defects. After primary debridement, vacuum sealing drainage combined with external fixation was used for treatment. In the second stage, free latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flaps were transplanted to repair soft tissue defects, with the flap size ranging from 20 cm×15 cm to 34 cm×22 cm. The donor sites of 9 flaps were directly sutured, and 4 cases with large tension were repaired with a keystone flap based on the posterior intercostal artery perforator. At 6-15 months postoperatively, with an average of 10.5 months, 11 patients underwent knee arthrodesis surgery; 2 patients with large bone defects at the distal femur and proximal tibia underwent multi-segment bone transport reconstruction of the bone defect. At last follow-up, the recovery of the flap and the donor site was recorded, and the function of the shoulder joint was evaluated by the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, and the function of the affected knee joint was evaluated by the Knee Society Score (KSS). ResultsAll the flaps survived after operation, the wounds and donor site incisions healed by first intention. All 13 patients were followed up 15-55 months, with an average of 21.6 months. Four patients who underwent the restoration of the donor site with the thoracodorsal keystone perforator flap had obvious scar hyperplasia around the wound, but no contracture or symmetrical breasts on both sides. At last follow-up, the appearance and texture of the flaps were good; the bony fusion of the knee joint was good, and the range of motion and function recovered well; the shoulder joint function on the flap-harvested side was not significantly affected, and the range of motion was satisfactory. The ASES shoulder joint score of the latissimus dorsi muscle-harvested side was 85-95, with an average of 89.5. The knee joint function KSS score was 75-90, with an average of 81.2. ConclusionFree latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap transplantation combined with external fixation for the treatment of bone and soft tissue defects around the knee joint caused by high-energy trauma can repair bone and soft tissue defects and reconstruct the stability of the knee joint, effectively preserve the integrity of the limb and soft tissues, and improve the patient’s ability of self-care.
Objective?To investigate the surgical method and clinical efficacy of repairing whole-hand destructive injury or hand degloving injury with the transplant of pedis compound free flap.?Methods?From February 2003 to June 2008, 21 patients with whole-hand destructive injury or hand degloving injury were treated, including 15 males and 6 females aged 18-45 years old (average 25 years old). The injury was caused by punching machine crush in 10 cases, roller crush in 7 cases, and imprinter crush in 4 cases. The time between injury and operation was 1-9 hours. Eleven cases had the skin-degloving injury of the whole hand, while the other 10 cases had the proximal palm injury combined with dorsal or palmar skin and soft tissue defect. After debridement, the size of wound was 9 cm × 7 cm - 15 cm × 10 cm in the dorsal aspect and 10 cm × 7 cm -16 cm × 10 cm in the palmar aspect. The defect was repaired by the thumbnail flap of dorsalis pedis flap and the second toenail flap of dorsalis pedis flap in 5 cases, the thumbnail flap of dorsalis pedis flap and the second toe with dorsalis pedis flap in 4 cases, and bilateral second toe with dorsalis pedis flap in 12 cases. The flap area harvested during operation ranged from 6 cm × 5 cm to 16 cm × 11 cm. Three fingers were constructed in 2 cases and two fingers in 19 cases. Distal interphalangeal joint toe amputation was conducted in the thumbnail flap donor site, metatarsophalangeal joint toe amputation was performed in the second toenail flap donor site, and full-thickness skin grafting was conducted in the abdomen.?Results?At 7 days after operation, the index finger in 1 case repaired by the second toenail flap suffered from necrosis and received amputation, 1 case suffered from partial necrosis of distal dorsalis pedis flap and recovered after dressing change, and the rest 42 tissue flaps survived. Forty-three out of 44 reconstructed fingers survived. All the wounds healed by first intention. At 2 weeks after operation, 2 cases had partial necrosis of the donor site flap and underwent secondary skin grafting after dressing change, the rest skin grafts survived, and all the wounds healed by first intention. Nineteen cases were followed up for 6-36 months (average 11 months). The flaps of palm and dorsum of hand showed no swelling, the reconstructed fingers had a satisfactory appearance and performed such functions as grabbing, grasping, and nipping. The sensory of the flaps and the reconstructed fingers recovered to S2-S4 grade. The donor site on the dorsum of the foot had no obvious scar contracture, without obvious influence on walking.?Conclusion?For the whole-hand destructive injury or hand degloving injury, the method of transplanting pedis compound free flap can repair the defect in the hand and reconstruct the function of the injured hand partially. It is an effective treatment method.