Forearm Defects Research Articles

Salvage of Fibular Osteocutaneous Flap With Creation of Arteriovenous Fistula

In utilizing free-tissue transfers to reconstruct complex wounds, occasionally a mismatch exists between the donor-flap inflow and the recipient vessel outflow. This occurs more often with fasciocutaneous flaps as opposed to muscle flaps due to their higher resistance. The result of this may be microvascular thrombosis within the system and ultimately flap failure. The creation of an arteriovenous fistula at the distal aspect of the flap may improve the flow dynamics and ultimately salvage the flap. We submit a case of a free osteocutaneous fibular flap used for reconstruction of an ulnar forearm defect. Due to intraoperative thrombosis as a result of flow mismatch, we were able to salvage the flap using a distal arteriovenous fistula. This fistula improved the flow dynamics of the flap by bypassing the high intraflap resistance. An arteriovenous fistula should be kept in the repertoire of the microvascular surgeon as a potential option for flap salvage.

Lengthening of congenital forearm stumps

The Ilizarov device and distraction osteogenesis method became very useful in correction and elongation of forearm defects. Two cases of forearm elongation with congenital transverse defect are described. The construction of the device is provided. During follow-up examination, 2 and 7 years after the treatment, good clinical results were achieved in both patients with the use of upper limb prosthesis employing the patient's own elbow joint. Presented application of the Ilizarov method can significantly improve possibilities for the use of prosthesis in patients with congenital upper limb defects and result in better cosmetic and functional outcome.

Refinement of minimally invasive harvest of gracilis muscle flap without endoscopic assistance.

Minimally invasive surgery without endoscopic assistance for gracilis muscle flap harvest is extensively used at the authors' institution. However, the proximal incision is still visible. The purpose of this study was to place the proximal incision in the groin area, to improve the cosmetic result at the donor site. In the reported series, nine male and three female patients were evaluated, with patient ages ranging from 31 to 75 years. Ten patients had lower extremity reconstruction, one had a forearm defect, and the other, a head and neck defect. The proximal incision was 5 to 6 cm in length in the groin area. The distal incision was 1.5 cm in length around the knee. After adequate exploration and dissection of the major pedicle of the gracilis muscle flap, which was located at 7 to 8 cm below the groin crease under direct vision, a standard long blunt dissector was used to separate the gracilis muscle. The average incision was about 7 cm in length, and the harvesting time was 55 min. All the free muscle transfers were successful and without major complications. The proximal incision was almost invisible after 3 months. Two patients developed partial loss of the skin graft, requiring further skin grafting. Compared with the conventional technique, this method proved to be advantageous in its easier performance, shorter incision, fewer morbidities, and better appearance at the donor site.

Flow-Through Use of the Osteomusculocutaneous Free Fibular Flap

A case of a forearm defect resulting from a high-velocity firearm injury was reconstructed by flow-through free transfer of the osteomusculocutaneous fibular flap harvested from the remaining stump of the patient's left leg that was amputated below the knee. The dimensions of the bone defect and damage to anatomic structures of more than one type (including ulnar artery, ulnar bone, and overlying soft tissue) were the reasons for the treatment approach with a composite tissue transfer including vascularized bone. Preoperative radiographic and angiographic examination revealed that the amputation stump offered a fibular shaft with adequate length and a peroneal artery patent up to the most distal point of the bone. Instead of the usual osteocutaneous fibular harvest, flap harvest was performed in an osteomusculocutaneous manner with incorporation of a segment of soleus muscle with an overlying skin paddle. In addition to the replacement of the bone defect, transfer of the flap in a flow-through manner reestablished the dual blood supply of the hand by replacing the ulnar artery gap, whereas the muscle and skin of the flap allowed three-dimensional reconstruction of the complex defect. In severe injuries of the upper extremity, flow-through free transfer of the fibular flap provides not only replacement of the resulting composite defect but also may offer salvage, or at least revascularization, of the extremity when complicated by arterial damage.

Direct Closure of Radial Forearm Free-Flap Donor Sites by Double-Opposing Rhomboid Transposition Flaps: Case Report

A basic disadvantage of the radial forearm flap is the removal of skin from a functionally important and cosmetically exposed region. The donor site is conventionally repaired by skin grafting. However, this method is associated with complications of graft take and a poor aesthetic appearance. In this report, the authors describe a simple technique for direct closure of a distal forearm flap donor defect, using double-opposing rhomboid transposition flaps. This method is based on the existence of an oblique skin laxity in the distal forearm from the ulnar to the radial side, allowing a double-opposing local flap design. In a 32-year-old female patient, a 6- X 4-cm longitudinally-oriented elliptical skin defect of a radial forearm free flap was succesfully closed directly with the described technique without any complications. This method is a useful alternative for primary closure of small- to medium-sized distal forearm defects.

Prenatal exposure to valproic acid during pregnancy and limb deficiencies: A case-control study

We conducted a case-control study using data from the Spanish Collaborative Study of Congenital Malformations (ECEMC) on the relationship between prenatal exposure to valproic acid (VPA) and the presence of limb deficiencies in newborn infants. Among a total of 22,294 consecutive malformed infants (once we excluded genetic syndromes) and 21,937 control infants with specified data on antiepileptic drugs during gestation, 57 malformed infants and 10 control infants were exposed to VPA during the first trimester of pregnancy. Of the total of malformed infants exposed to VPA, 36.8% (21/57) presented with congenital limb defects of different types (including overlapping digits, talipes, clubfoot, clinodactyly, arachnodactyly, hip dislocation, pre- and postaxial polydactyly, etc.), three of them having limb deficiencies. The result of the case-control analysis shows a risk for limb deficiencies of odds ratio = 6.17 [confidence interval (CI) 1.28–29.66, P = 0.023], after controlling for potential confounder factors. If we consider that in our population the prevalence at birth of this type of defect is 6.88 per 10,000 livebirths (95% CI 6.43–7.36) we can estimate that the risk for women treated with VPA of having a baby with limb deficiencies would be around 0.42%. The limb deficiencies in the three patients exposed to VPA were the following: the first case was a newborn infant with hypoplasia of the left hand, the second patient was a newborn infant with unilateral forearm defect and hypoplastic first metacarpal bone in the left hand, and the third patient presented with short hands with hypoplastic first metacarpal bone, absent and hypoplastic phalanges, retrognathia, facial asymmetry, hypospadias, teleangiectatic angioma in skull, and hypotonia. Am. J. Med. Genet. 90:376–381, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Prenatal exposure to valproic acid during pregnancy and limb deficiencies: A case-control study

We conducted a case-control study using data from the Spanish Collaborative Study of Congenital Malformations (ECEMC) on the relationship between prenatal exposure to valproic acid (VPA) and the presence of limb deficiencies in newborn infants. Among a total of 22,294 consecutive malformed infants (once we excluded genetic syndromes) and 21,937 control infants with specified data on antiepileptic drugs during gestation, 57 malformed infants and 10 control infants were exposed to VPA during the first trimester of pregnancy. Of the total of malformed infants exposed to VPA, 36.8% (21/57) presented with congenital limb defects of different types (including overlapping digits, talipes, clubfoot, clinodactyly, arachnodactyly, hip dislocation, pre- and postaxial polydactyly, etc.), three of them having limb deficiencies. The result of the case-control analysis shows a risk for limb deficiencies of odds ratio = 6.17 [confidence interval (CI) 1.28-29.66, P = 0.023], after controlling for potential confounder factors. If we consider that in our population the prevalence at birth of this type of defect is 6.88 per 10,000 livebirths (95% CI 6.43-7.36) we can estimate that the risk for women treated with VPA of having a baby with limb deficiencies would be around 0.42%. The limb deficiencies in the three patients exposed to VPA were the following: the first case was a newborn infant with hypoplasia of the left hand, the second patient was a newborn infant with unilateral forearm defect and hypoplastic first metacarpal bone in the left hand, and the third patient presented with short hands with hypoplastic first metacarpal bone, absent and hypoplastic phalanges, retrognathia, facial asymmetry, hypospadias, teleangiectatic angioma in skull, and hypotonia.

Fascial flaps based on perforators for reconstruction of defects in the distal forearm

Twenty fascial flaps were used in the reconstruction of defects in the distal forearm, wrist and hand in 18 patients over a 2-year period. In 16 patients the fascial flaps were based on a single fascial feeding vessel or ‘perforator’ arising from the anterior interosseous artery and/or ulnar artery when the radial artery had been used as the donor vessel in free flap reconstruction elsewhere in the body. There was no loss of any fascial flap in the study. The use of fascial flaps based on fascial feeders of the anterior interosseous and ulnar arteries extends the range of fascial flaps that can be raised in the forearm for reconstruction of defects in the distal forearm, wrist and hand.

Upper limb reconstruction with reverse flaps: a review of 52 patients with emphasis on flap selection.

Reverse flaps lend themselves to transposition from proximal to distal locations in the extremities. This series comprised 18 radial forearm flaps, 17 digital artery flaps, 13 posterior interosseous flaps, 3 lateral arm flaps, 2 dorsal digital flaps, and 1 dorsal metacarpal flap, all of which were utilized in a reverse pattern. The radial forearm flap was mainly chosen for defects involving part of the palm and the palmar aspect of the first web space. The posterior interosseous flap was more commonly utilized for resurfacing the dorsum, dorsal aspect of the first web space, and especially the hypothenar aspect of the hand. The lateral arm flap was used to reconstruct antecubital fossa and proximal forearm defects. All posterior interosseous and lateral arm donor areas were closed primarily. Sensate digital artery flaps yielded 5 mm on average static two-point discrimination in 6 to 18 months of follow-up. Functional and cosmetic results concerning the recipient and donor areas were found to be satisfactory. It was concluded that reverse flaps are versatile tools in the coverage of all kind of defects in the upper limb and should be thought of in the first place.

Reconstruction of skeletal defects in the forearm after trauma: treatment with cement spacer and delayed cancellous bone grafting.

Single forearm bone posttraumatic defects averaging 4 cm were successfully reconstructed by first using an antibiotic impregnated cement spacer followed by delayed cancellous bone grafting in three patients. A fourth patient, with a larger defect of 12 cm, had a satisfactory clinical result with this technique, but did not achieve a solid bony union. This method may be considered in contaminated segmental forearm defects amenable to traditional cancellous bone grafting. Thorough debridement, stable fixation, and good soft tissue coverage over the spacer are needed. For larger defects (> 6 cm), other treatment options may be more appropriate.

Experience with Lateral Arm Flap in Hand and Forearm Defects

Experience with Lateral Arm Flap in Hand and Forearm Defects

Immediate Internal Fixation of High-Energy Open Forearm Fractures

Eighteen patients with Gustilo and Anderson Grade III A (7), III B (8) or III C (3) open diaphyseal forearm fractures were treated with a protocol consisting of extensive primary debridement, immediate open reduction, dynamic compression plate fixation, and vascular repair when indicated. This was followed by routine redebridement at 24 to 48-h intervals until wound status allowed completion of soft tissue reconstruction. Bone grafting was performed at 8 to 10 weeks following obtainment of a closed soft tissue envelope for injuries with extensive comminution or bone loss (5 patients, 7 fractures). Subsequent procedures such as tendon transfers, scar revision, joint arthrodesis, or secondary nerve reconstruction were required in 8 of 18 patients. Minor complications related to delayed wound healing occurred in 3 individuals (15%). One deep infection of a fractured radius occurred in a patient with a floating elbow and failed free flap. Salvage with debridement, retention of hardware, and a second free flap resulted in fracture union. One patient required a second bone graft to obtain union of a segmental forearm defect. Amputation was performed in one patient following failed forearm replantation with greater than 8 h warm ischemia time. Immediate debridement and plate fixation of Grade III forearm fractures performed in conjunction with aggressive soft tissue management provided good or excellent results in 12 patients (66%) and is an acceptable treatment alternative in these difficult injuries.

Functioning Free Latissimus Dorsi Muscle Transplantation: Anterogradely Positioned Usage in Reconstruction of Extensive Forearm Defect

We present a patient with successful functional recovery of a severely injured upper extremity after a microneurovascular free latissimus dorsi muscle and combined composite skin were transplanted with an anterograde position. In our patient, the anterogradely positioned usage of the lastissimus muscle offered two major advantages; one advantage was the direct anastomosis of a more proximal healthy uninjured recipient nerve without interpositional nerve graft, and the other, one-stage coverage including the elbow wound with combined scapular skin flap. From our result, we deduce that a neurovascular free latissimus dorsi muscle transplantation with an anterograde position is selectively indicated in functional recovery of an extensively injured forearm.

Intraoral and oropharyngeal reconstruction using a de-epithelialized forearm flap.

We have used free forearm flaps for closure of various intraoral and oropharyngeal defects after radical ablation of tumors. A problem remained, however, in that split-thickness skin grafts required to close the forearm defect had to be obtained from other areas. To avoid this disadvantage, we de-epithelialized forearm flaps and the donor defects were closed with the split-thickness skin obtained from flap de-epithelialization. As a result of this procedure, unnecessary scarring has been avoided and postoperative management has been simplified. Such complications as flap loss, fistulae, or scar contracture have not occurred with greater frequency than is seen in normal circumstances. The de-epithelialized forearm flap procedure is explained. Histological findings concerning the de-epithelialized forearm flap are described, and the advantages of this method stated.

Elliot, D., et al. Direct closure of the radial forearm flap donor defect. Br. J. Plast. Surg. 41

Elliot, D., et al. Direct closure of the radial forearm flap donor defect. Br. J. Plast. Surg. 41

Microvascular reconstruction for close-range gunshot injuries to the distal forearm

Three patients with compound defects in the distal forearm resulting from close-range gunshot injuries were treated with a free microvascular composite groin flap. The composite flap, which consisted of groin skin, the iliac crest, and abdominal muscles, was used to cover the exposed nerves, tendons, and vessels in one stage. The iliac crest replaced the segmental radial and ulnar defects, and the attached muscles were placed deep to the tendons to provide a gliding surface and to prevent adhesions to the bone. "Sandwiching" the damaged nerves and tendons between highly vascular soft tissue has the potential to improve tendon excursion, nerve regeneration, and ultimately the functional result in the hand. This microvascular reconstruction is presented as an alternative to conventional staged skin flap transfer and cancellous bone grafting.

Local transposition of a distally-based island forearm flap to close a complicated excisional wrist defect in a nonagenarian: some anatomical and clinical considerations

A distally based island forearm flap was used in a 93-year-old patient to reconstruct a dorsal forearm defect following tumour resection. Augmentation of the venous out-flow using a microvascular venous anastomosis was required. The expediency and safety with which this island flap can be used is emphasised with a cautionary note on venous drainage.

Composite osteo-cutaneous groin flap for the reconstruction of wrist and forearm defects

Two patients with severe traumatic soft tissue and bone loss at the wrist and involving the ulnar compartment of the forearm have been successfully treated with a compound osteo-cutaneous groin flap. The bone scans of the iliac bone graft showed good vascularity 8 weeks after the operation.

The Superficial Inferior Epigastric Artery Flap for Coverage of Hand and Forearm Defects

Large wounds of the hand and upper extremity require secure closure for protection of the underlying structures. The skin of the lower abdomen can be raised in a lenticular fashion, supported by the superficial inferior epigastric artery and veins and applied as a flap to wounds of the distal upper extremity. The flap demonstrates versatility in positioning, and the donor site can be closed in a linear fashion. Viability of this superficial inferior epigastric artery flap is demonstrated by the case reports.