Abstract
Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of pedicled perforator propeller flaps for incision poor healing after the surgery of lower extremity fractures. Methods A retrospective case series analysis was made on 40 patients managed with pedicled perforator propeller flaps for incision poor healing caused by skin necrosis after surgery of lower extremity fractures from February 2013 to February 2016. There were 28 males and 12 females, with a mean age of 42.7 years (range, 19-65 years). In all, 17 patients were noted with skin necrosis or poor healing of the lateral incision complicated by internal fixation exposure after calcaneal fracture surgery, 11 poor anterior incision healing complicated by poor tendon and internal fixation exposure after pilon fracture surgery, 8 poor medial incision healing complicated by poor internal fixation exposure after distal tibial fracture surgery, and 4 poor lateral incision healing complicated by internal fixation exposure after lateral malleolus fracture surgery. Surgical efficacy was evaluated in terms of the flap survival rate, infection control, elasticity, color and appearance of skin, donor site scar, skin sensation, and patient acceptance. American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot scale was recorded after operation. Results Duration of follow-up was 5-21 months (mean, 12.3 months). One patient suffered from vascular crisis after operation and was cured after symptomatic treatment. All flaps survived with the appearance, color and elasticity close to the surrounding normal skin. Donor sites exhibit no infection and were healed with small scarring. Acceptance was satisfactory in 32 patients and ordinary in 8 patients. According to the AOFAS scale, the results were excellent in 18 patients, good in 21 and fair in 1. Conclusion Perforator pedicled propeller flaps are effective in treatment of incision poor healing after surgery of lower extremity fractures and deserve to be popularized in clinics. Key words: Surgical flaps; Postoperative complications; Propeller flaps
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
