Management of osteosarcoma by total knee joint replacement with ALT-free flap transfer: Case series

Abstract

In the past, surgeries to treat osteosarcoma involved amputation, but now they have become more conservative with prosthesis replacement. To reduce the incidence of complications, it is essential to consider suitable and adequate soft tissue cover. Our patients underwent surgery to resect osteosarcoma of the upper and lower head of the tibia and femur, respectively and were given knee joint prostheses. We chose the anterolateral thigh flap (ALT) as the suitable material to cover the defect and the prosthesis. All flaps were used for the surgery, two of which were fasciocutaneous, and the other two were musculocutaneous. All flaps had good blood supply, and no complications were reported. Conservative surgery for osteosarcoma has become increasingly popular, particularly for bone or joint replacement. The free ALT flaps offer many advantages when reconstructing the soft tissue defect and covering the prosthesis. The lower donor site morbidity of ALT free-flap makes it a more favorable choice for reconstruction after joint replacement.