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Free Your Mind, Not Your Flap.

ABSTRACT: The pedicled flap has been a mainstay of soft tissue reconstruction since the earliest days of plastic surgery. Advances in surgical technology and skill have led to an erosion in the use of pedicled flaps in favor of increasingly popular free tissue transfers. Still, regional flaps without microvascular anastomosis remain a valuable reconstructive tool. Although still requiring microsurgical skills, these flaps are of particular benefit in patients with few or poor quality recipient vessels, in those who cannot tolerate antiplatelet therapy, and in those who cannot tolerate the often-extended anesthesia time necessitated by microvascular anastomosis. Furthermore, pedicled flaps may significantly reduce total cost of a reconstruction procedure with similar outcomes. In this case series, we report challenging scenarios where microsurgical approaches may have been typical choices but were instead reconstructed by pedicled options with desired outcomes. Difficult soft tissue defects were successfully reconstructed with a variety of pedicled flaps. Soft tissue transfers to the abdomen, flank, shoulder, and back are presented. None of the reconstructions required microvascular anastomosis.

SUBMITTER: Neusner AD

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9200385 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Free Your Mind, Not Your Flap.

Neusner Alexander D AD Pribaz Julian J JJ Guo Lifei L

Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open 20220615 6

The pedicled flap has been a mainstay of soft tissue reconstruction since the earliest days of plastic surgery. Advances in surgical technology and skill have led to an erosion in the use of pedicled flaps in favor of increasingly popular free tissue transfers. Still, regional flaps without microvascular anastomosis remain a valuable reconstructive tool. Although still requiring microsurgical skills, these flaps are of particular benefit in patients with few or poor quality recipient vessels, in ...[more]

PMID: 35720204

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Project description:BackgroundExtensive through-and-through oromandibular defects after advanced oral carcinoma excision pose a reconstructive challenge for the head and neck surgeon. These complex oromandibular wounds often involve the mandible, oral and/or aerodigestive mucosa, and the external skin. As a result, these defects are often not amenable to reconstruction with a single flap due to the volume of soft tissue needed and the three-dimensional reconstructive requirement. The use of two free flaps has often been suggested to overcome this reconstructive challenge. A simpler and less technically demanding way to deal with this may involve the use of a free flap in combination with a pedicled regional flap. We present our experience of the use of a simultaneous microvascular fibula free flap (FFF) with a pectoralis major myocutaneous flap (PMMC) for addressing these defects.MethodsA retrospective chart review was performed of patients treated with a FFF and PMMC combination for the reconstruction of oromandibular defects at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (Jackson, MS) between October 2013 and February 2016. A minimum follow-up of 12 months was required. Data collected included the extent and location of tumor involvement, size of the postablative defect, tumor histology, clinical and pathological staging, length of follow-up, functional outcomes, and associated complications.ResultsA total of three patients were identified to have been treated with the above technique. Defects repaired involved through-and-through mandibular defects with associated oral mucosa and external skin defects. In all cases, the FFF was used for restoring bony continuity with the skin paddle used to reconstruct the intraoral lining. The PMMC was used for reconstruction of the external skin defect and for providing soft tissue bulk. The average size of the fibula skin paddle used for intraoral reconstruction was 7.7 cm × 11.7 cm. The average size of the PMMC paddle was 7.3 × 9 cm. The mean follow-up was 21.7 months. Both the FFF and PMMC survived in all cases, although postoperative wound healing complications occurred in two of the three patients. There was one partial flap loss. Two patients regained good oral intake while one patient tolerated oral intake but was PEG tube-dependent.ConclusionsThe combination of pectoralis major myocutaneous flap and a vascularized free fibular flap is a viable option for the reconstruction of complex through-and-through oromandibular defects. This technique may be useful when a single microvascular free flap is not sufficient for reconstruction of such defects.

Project description:BackgroundDefects of the hand and foot often require an individualized reconstructive approach, due to their unique functional and aesthetic characteristics. Transferred tissues should be thin, pliable, and durable, with free fascial flaps meeting these requirements. This study aimed to evaluate the serratus fascia flap and the serratus carpaccio flap, which is a modification of the fascia flap, by including a thin muscle layer, with the goal of enhancing flap resilience and lowering morbidity rates.MethodsBetween January 2000 and December 2017, 31 patients underwent microsurgical reconstruction of the hand or foot either by serratus fascia flap (fascia group) or serratus carpaccio flap (carpaccio group). The serratus fascia flaps were mainly harvested between 2000 and 2012, and the serratus carpaccio flaps between 2013 and 2017. Patient records were reviewed retrospectively, regarding demographics, complications, overall flap survival, additional revision surgeries, and surgical outcome. Categorical variables were compared using Fisher's exact test and continuous data with the Mann-Whitney tests. Logistic regression was used to examine the correlation between comorbidities and postoperative complication rates. Differences were considered significant when p < 0.05.ResultsThe fascia group consisted of 17 patients and the carpaccio group of 14 patients. The average patient age in the fascia group was 39.2 ± 10.5 years, and it was 39.1 ± 14.7 years in the carpaccio group. Overall complication rates were significantly lower in the carpaccio group than in the fascia group (28.6% vs. 70.6%, p = 0.03). The rates of overall flap survival (85.7% in the carpaccio group vs. 74.5% in the fascia group, p = 0.66) and partial flap loss (14.3% in the carpaccio group vs. 47.1% in the fascia group, p = 0.07) did not differ significantly among both groups. One postoperative hematoma of the donor site requiring revision surgery was reported in the carpaccio group (7.1%, p = 0.45) while no donor-site morbidity was reported in the fascia group.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that the serratus carpaccio flap presents a promising alternative to the serratus fascia flap. This modification has proven to be effective in substantially reducing postoperative complications requiring additional surgical interventions. Therefore, the serratus carpaccio flap can be considered a dependable reconstructive option for addressing complex soft tissue defects of the hand and foot, with complication rates that are within an acceptable range.

Project description:Both free posterior tibial flap (FPTF) and free radial forearm flap (FRFF) are commonly used for head and neck defects. They have many similarities in embryology, histology, and anatomy, but their advantages and disadvantages in head and neck repair have not been fully recognized. This study aimed to compare the cadaveric anatomy and clinical application of FPTF and FRFF for the reconstruction of head and neck defects after tumor resection. Anatomical dissection was performed on 10 fresh adult cadavers. The general characteristics of both flaps and the sites of recipients and donors were collected. A total of 31 and 25 patients underwent FPTF and FRFF construction, respectively. The patient medical records were assessed to obtain the clinical characteristics. Characteristics of the flap such as size, pedicle length, and clinical process data were collected and compared. The appearance, sensory disturbance, and effect on quality of life and daily activity were evaluated. The posterior tibial artery was present and observed in all patients. The posterior vascular pedicle was longer than the radial artery. There was no difference between the diameters of arteries of FPTF and FRFF; however, the diameters of their veins differed. In terms of flap characteristics, FPTF was significantly larger and had a longer vascular pedicle than FRFF (40.68±11.07 vs. 53.77±29.02 cm2, P=0.03; 8.48±1.66 vs. 11.10±2.39 cm, P=0.00). Patients in the FPTF group had a significantly shorter total hospital stay (FRFF: 26.48±8.33 d; FPTF: 18.58±6.68 d), postoperative hospital stay (FRFF: 17.60±5.53 d; FPTF: 10.94±3.62 d), and flap harvest time (FRFF: 87.00±20.92 min; FPTF: 65.00±17.56 min) than FRFF group. There were far more complications of the donor site in the FRFF group than in the FPTF group. Also, according to the patients' subjective evaluations of the donor site, FPTF was superior to FRFF (P=0.00). FPTF is a reliable alternative to FRFF for head and neck reconstruction. These techniques share similar certain embryogenesis and anatomical characteristics but FPTF possesses unique aesthetic and clinical application advantages.

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Free Your Mind, Not Your Flap.

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Free Your Mind, Not Your Flap.

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