The clinical application of distal musculocutaneous perforators in the anterolateral thigh flap transplantation

Abstract

Objective To investigate the anatomical characteristics and clinical application of the distal musculocutaneous perforators derived from the descending branch of lateral circumflex femoral artery in the anterolateral thigh flap transplantation. Methods From July 2007 to December 2009, the anatomic variations of musculocutaneous perforator were investigated in 96 cases who received anterolateral thigh flap and 10 preserved cadavers. Thirty-five cases who received the anterolateral thigh flap using the distal musculocutaneous perforators were included in the study. There were 19 males and 16 females. The age ranged from 28-55 years old, with an average of 38.5 years old. Single flap was used in 20 cases while lobulated flap in 15 cases. Single flap area ranged from 7 cm×15 cm to 9 cm×25 cm, lobulated flap ranged from 5 cm×7 cm to 8 cm×20 cm. Results The cadaver study found that the most musculocutaneous perforators were concentrated in the far fourth of the anterolateral thigh region. The musculocutaneous perforators commonly arose from the the lateral femoral circumflex artery. The perforator arose directly from the femoral artery or the deep femoral artery in one case separately. In the clinical study, 2-5 musculocutaneous perforators were found in 94 cases but not in the other 2 cases. The descending branch of lateral circumflex femoral artery became the direct m musculocutaneous perforator. The proximal intermuscularseptum perforator was found in 2 cases. Postoperative follow-up time ranged from 6-11 months. All flaps survived in the follow-up.Marginal necrosis was found in 3 cases. Only 1 case had complained of knee joint instability. Conclusion The results of this study suggest that the vascular anatomy of the distal musculocutaneous perforator was reliable. The perforator may serve as an option for proximal one in anterolateral thigh flap transplantation. Key words: Surgical flaps; Anatomy; Transplantation,autologous