Reconstruction of sternal defects with pectoralis major muscle flap

The earliest treatment of the median sternotomy defects was serial debridements and secondary healing. The muscle flaps that can be used in reconstruction of the presternal defects are pectoralis major muscle flap, rectus abdominis muscle flap, vertical rectus abdominis muscle flap, latissimus dorsi muscle flap with or without skin island, bipedicled pectoralis-rectus muscle flap, and external oblique muscle flap. Pectoralis major muscle flap can be used either as bilateral or unilateral rotation advancement flap, island flap, turnover flap, split turnover flap, and segmental muscle flap. Forty-eight patients with median sternotomy defects, who were treated with pectoralis major muscle flap, were included in this study. The complications were mortality, flap loss, flap dehiscence, persistent infection, and hematoma. The patients were evaluated in terms of functional loss after the operation by shoulder movement measurements. Various techniques of flap transfer can be used for the closure of a presternal defect; almost all presternal defects can be covered with the pectoralis major muscle in a single stage operation. In our opinion, the pectoralis major muscle flap should be the first choice of treatment for sternal defects.     

The eight-limb modified propeller flap--a safer new technique

Introduction

Contracture deformities affecting the flexor aspect of the elbow joint and the 1st web space are not uncommon sequelae of burns. Surgical treatment is contemplated in those patients with established contractural deformities in whom non-surgical treatment is ineffective or functional integrity of the joint is at jeopardy. Surgical treatment consists of incising the scar tissue to release joint contracture and covering the defect that might result with skin grafting or various tissue flaps. In this work, we used a modification of the multilobed propeller flap to treat eight patients with contracture deformities.

Materials and methods

Eight patients with contracture deformities of the elbow (five patients) and 1st web space (three patients) were subjected to release and modified propeller flap coverage. The modification implies planning eight limbs based on a central axis so that rotation occurs in 45° instead of 90° in the original propeller flaps.

Results

All patients had acceptable results with complete range of movement regained in affected joints and no serious complications. Only a case of partial loss of skin graft and another case with congestion of one lobe were reported, and both were managed conservatively.

Conclusion

The new modification has the advantages of being flexible, can be tailored to best match the defect so that it can be closed primarily or needs smaller skin grafts, can be used even when there is much scarring and, finally, the resultant appearance is cosmetically acceptable with little donor morbidity, if any.     

穿支蒂螺旋桨皮瓣修复足踝部软组织缺损25例临床分析

目的 探讨穿支蒂螺旋桨皮瓣在足踝部软组织缺损创面修复中的应用效果.方法 自2007年7月到2011年12月,对足踝部软组织缺损患者采用穿支蒂螺旋桨皮瓣修复25例,穿支动脉来源分别为腓动脉18例,胫后动脉6例,足背动脉1例.皮瓣面积4cm×10cm～9 cm×33 cm.结果 供区直接缝合9例,游离植皮16例,有3例皮瓣术后出现静脉淤血,2例经滴血疗法最终皮瓣成活,1例皮瓣远端1/3坏死,经清创后游离植皮治愈.所有患者均获随访,随访时间1～26个月,所有皮瓣蒂部平整,外表美观,患者较为满意.结论 穿支螺旋桨皮瓣操作简单、安全有效,在足踝部软组织缺损创面的修复中比其他带蒂皮瓣更具优越性.     

胸锁乳突肌单蒂肌皮瓣修复颌面部软组织缺陷畸形的初步报告

目的探讨胸锁乳突肌胸骨头单蒂肌皮瓣修复颌面部软组织缺损畸形的方法及效果。方法2004年5月-2006年9月,应用胸锁乳突肌胸骨头单蒂肌皮瓣修复颌面部软组织瘢痕及缺损5例,均为男性,年龄23-34岁。分别为胎儿时母亲宫腔内注射药物、婴幼儿期面颊部感染、电击伤后遗留瘢痕或凹陷畸形。需要修复范围为5cm×3cm-9cm×6cm。结果术后5例移位胸骨头肌皮瓣均成活,但因静脉回流障碍均发生小面积的表皮坏死,2-3周自行愈合,皮瓣周围有少许瘢痕形成。1例术后患侧发生肩部上抬无力,6个月后基本恢复。术后均获随访1-6个月,修复后的颌面1例蒂部略显臃肿;1例瘢痕明显,但患者满意;余3例外观满意。结论胸锁乳突肌胸骨头单蒂肌皮瓣较全胸锁乳突肌皮瓣设计更灵活,且能提供足够的组织量,是修复颌面部皮肤软组织缺损的一种理想材料。     

Distally based perforator flaps for reconstruction of post-traumatic defects of the lower leg and foot. A review of the anatomy and clinical outcomes

Study aims

To report the surgical anatomy of the perforator arteries at the lower leg, analyse clinical outcomes in previous studies, and forward methodological recommendations for future studies of post-traumatic perforator flap reconstructions.

Methods

A study sample of 640 human patients drawn from 24 clinical reports was included for review. The sample comprised of four subsets: sural flap reconstructions (n = 257), saphenous flaps (n = 122), supramalleolar flaps (n = 92), and propeller flaps (n = 169).

Results

Statistical analysis of samples from anatomical studies documents significant differences in the perforator distribution from the tibial and peroneal artery; peroneal perforator arteries are randomly organised whereas tibial artery perforators are clustered at three definite levels. The failure rates in clinical studies ranged from 0% to 6%, being lowest for supramalleolar flap reconstructions and highest for saphenous flaps; however, differences between the four subsets were not statistically significant at the 95% confidence level. Due to methodological flaws, outcome comparisons in the actual study sample should be interpreted cautiously; in most clinical studies both risk variables and outcome indicators are poorly defined. The outcome of Dynamic Infrared Thermography imaging of post-transposition changes of flap perfusion is reported.

Summary

Fasciocutaneous perforator flaps seem to have high survival rates and represent a feasible approach to post-traumatic reconstructions, especially in low-resource settings. A template for data gathering is recommended for higher accuracy in future comparative studies, and for scientific analysis of success and risk factors. New imaging techniques indicate a promising potential of micro-circular angiogenesis during the first two weeks after flap transpose.     

Distally based perforator sural flaps for foot and ankle reconstruction

Distally based perforator sural flaps from the posterolateral or posteromedial lower leg aspect are initially a neurofasciocutaneous flap that can be transferred reversely to the foot and ankle region with no need to harvest and sacrifice the deep major artery. These flaps are supplied by a perforating artery issued from the deep peroneal artery or the posterior tibial artery, and the chain-linked adipofascial neurovascular axis around the sural/saphenous nerve. It is a versatile and reliable technique for soft-tissue reconstruction of the heel and ankle region with 180-degrees rotation. In this paper, we present its developing history, vascular basis, surgical techniques including flap design and elevation, flap variations in pedicle and component, surgical indications, and illustrative case reports with different perforating vessels as pivot points for foot and ankle coverage.     

Aesthetic Penoscrotal Resurfacing: Creating Propeller Flaps from Gluteal Folds

Background

Reconstruction of extensive penoscrotal defects is a surgical challenge. Resurfacing defects in highly complex three-dimensional structures and restoring their function are an essential part of the reconstruction of penoscrotal regions.

Reconstruction of elbow region defects using radial collateral artery perforator (RCAP)-based propeller flaps

Perforator-based propeller flaps permit flap rotation up to 180°. This ability to transfer skin from one longitudinal axis to another has led to the increasing use of perforator-based propeller flaps in extremity reconstruction, especially lower-extremity reconstruction. However, the application of perforator-based propeller flaps to upper-extremity reconstruction is still limited. This article reports two cases of successful reconstruction of elbow region defects with radial collateral artery perforator (RCAP)-based propeller flaps. The elbow region has a variety of perforators available for perforator-based propeller flap reconstruction. Among them, the RCAP seems to be one of the most reliable options. This is because there are less anatomical variations of perforators' location on the lateral upper arm than on the medial upper arm. By using an RCAP perforator as a flap pedicle, the small-to-medium sized defects (<6?cm in diameter) around elbow regions can be closed primarily without skin grafts.     

CTA与螺旋桨皮瓣技术在额部皮瓣中的应用

额部皮瓣是面颈部修复中最常用的皮瓣之一,具有皮瓣色泽和质地良好、毗邻受区、血供丰富等优点。近年来,由于CT血管造影(computed tomographic angiography,CTA)等新型检查技术的出现,使得手术前对额部皮肤的血液供应情况有了更好的了解;而随着皮瓣设计及切取方式的创新,额部皮瓣的应用范围也更加广泛。本文就CTA与螺旋桨皮瓣转移技术在额部皮瓣中的应用现状进行综述。     

Propeller flap: Orthoplastic approach for coverage of distal leg and ankle defects

BackgroundCovering soft tissue defects of the distal one-third of the leg and the Achilles tendon region and is a challenging problem for an orthopedic surgeon. With recent advancements in the anatomical knowledge of perforating vessels, perforator-pedicled propeller flaps have become increasingly popular in recent decades. We aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of our patients whose soft tissue defects in the distal leg were reconstructed with propeller flaps and assessed association of complications with age, gender, flap size and arc of rotation.MethodsPatients that had a reconstruction with a propeller flap at the ankle from 2013 to 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. The main indications for the propeller flap were small- and medium-sized soft tissue defects of the distal lower limb. 20 propeller flaps were applied to 19 patients (14 male, 5 female) for various lower extremity defects.ResultsThe mean follow-up duration was 2 years (range, 6 months to 6 years). The average flap size was 82 cm² (range, 48–125 cm²). The flap was rotated 180 degrees in nine patients The source of the perforator vessel was the tibialis posterior artery in 14 cases, the peroneal artery in 4 cases, both the tibialis posterior and peroneal arteries in 1 case. Four complications (20 %) occured postoperatively. Two patients developed partial necrosis at the tip of the flap, and two patients developed superficial epidermolysis. No correlations were found between complications and flap size and the arc of rotation.ConclusionsThe propeller flap is a reliable option for reconstruction of small to moderate defects in the lower extremity with good clinical results and minimal donor-site morbidity. It is applicable for orthopedic surgeons who do not have microsurgical experience or an available microscope in the operating room.     

A simple concept for covering pressure sores: wound edge‐based propeller perforator flap

We present a new surgical modification to allow propeller perforator flaps to cover pressure sores at various locations. We used a propeller perforator flap concept based on the detection of newly formed perforator vessels located 1 cm from the wound margin and stimulated by the chronic inflammation process. Between January 2009 and January 2017, 33 wound edge‐based propeller perforator flaps were used to cover pressure sores at various locations in 28 patients. In four cases more than one flap was used on the same patient. The patients comprised 18 males and 10 females with a mean age of 41·25 (range, 16–70) years. All patients underwent follow‐up for 0–12 months. The mean follow‐up duration was 5·03 months. Venous congestion was observed in three flaps that were rotated by 180° (9·1%). However, there was a significant difference between flaps rotated by 90° and 180° according to the complication rate (P = 0·034). Out of 33 flaps, 29 flaps healed uneventfully. Patients were able to sit and lie on their flaps three weeks after surgery. In our study, we were able to obtain satisfying final results using these novel flaps.