Surgical Treatment for Facial Port Wine Stain by Prefabricated Expanded Cervical Flap Carried by Superficial Temporal Artery.

Abstract

Port wine stain (PWS) is a congenital benign vascular malformation. Laser treatment is the main therapy for PWS. But some patients are not sensitive to it, and failed laser treatment will leave scars on face. Hence in this study, the authors used prefabricated flap carried by superficial temporal artery to treat PWS. Nine patients diagnosed with large-scaled PWS (occupying more than half of the cheek) from January 2008 to December 2017 were selected in the study. One of them did not finish the treatment. Eight patients completed all scheduled treatments. In the first stage, superficial temporal vessels were transferred to the donor site and then an expander was implanted. About 80 to 150 days later, PWS was removed and the prefabricated flap was used to repair the wound. All the 8 patients were followed-up for 10 months to 36 months. Prefabricated flap survived well. All patients are satisfied with the appearance. The color and texture of prefabricated flap is similar to the surroundings. The combination of prefabricated flap and skin soft tissue expander not only extends the scale of flap but also enhances the efficacy of surgical treatment. It is a good candidate to treat PWS.