Radial Artery Perforator Flap Research Articles

The Adipofascial Radial Artery Perforator Flap: A Versatile Reconstructive Option in Upper Limb Surgery.

Flaps have been used in upper limb surgery for varied indications including coverage of soft tissue defects, interposition and to provide a pliable bed for gliding structures among others. We report our use of the radial artery perforator based adipofascial flap in nine patients, five with rigid radioulnar synostosis, three with recalcitrant carpal tunnel syndrome and one with a soft tissue defect. All our patients with radioulnar synostosis regained good functional rotations of the forearm with no recurrence at follow up. The patients with recalcitrant carpal tunnel also had resolution of symptoms with no recurrence. The flap healed well in all the patients. We propose this flap as a viable, versatile reconstructive option for the hand and upper limb.

Dorsal hand coverage

Dorsal hand coverage

Modified Innervated Radial Collateral Artery Perforator Flap for Repairing Digital Defects.

The authors presented their clinical experience and demonstrated surgical methods to reconstruct soft-tissue defects in the digit by using modified innervated radial collateral artery perforator flap. Surgical procedures that involved 12 modified innervated radial collateral artery perforator flaps were performed in 12 patients. Among the patients, two had defects in the thumbs, six had defects in the index fingers, whereas two had defects in the middle fingers, two had defects in the little fingers. The flaps ranged in size from 5.0 × 2.0 to 7.5 × 4.0cm. The pedicle of the flap was divided and ligated below the level at which the radial collateral artery was divided into anterior and posterior branches. The recipient vessels were the proper digital artery and the palmar subcutaneous vein (n = 8), the deep branch of the ulnar palm artery (n = 4), and the venae comitantes. Nerve suture was done between the posterior cutaneous nerve of the arm and the proper digital nerve of the digital. The cosmetic appearance of the donor and recipient sites and static two-point discrimination of the operated finger were evaluated in a follow-up visit. Postoperative venous congestion happened in two cases, and both succeeded after exploration. All flaps survived, and all donor sites were closed directly, leaving a linear scar. Follow-up time ranged from 12 to 28months. Defatting of the flap was performed in two cases during the late postoperative period. Cosmetically acceptable results were achieved for the rest of the patients. The modified innervated radial collateral artery perforator flap is a good option for reconstructing soft-tissue defects in digits.

Radial artery perforator flap and external fixation after gunshot injuries in a 10-year-old boy

Air-powered guns can cause serious trauma to body structures. We describe a 10-year-old boy who suffered injuries to his gluteal and thenar regions as a result of a single gunshot. Surgical management included cleansing of the gluteal region, as well as an external fixation device and a fasciosubcutaneous flap based on a perforator branch of the distal radial artery. To the best of our knowledge, this case illustrates the youngest patient to benefit from this kind of perforator flap. We also underline the long-term risk of lead toxicity for this kind of injury.

Transplantation of perforator flaps: Systematic review of 108 case series

Objective To explore the clinical outcome of perforator flaps for reconstruction of limb soft tissue defects. Methods In this case series, from 2007 July to 2009 May, 108 cases of perforator flap to reconstruct the defects of the extremities were performed, of these, 98 were free perforator flaps, 10 were pedicled flaps. The perforator flaps included deep inferior epigastric artery perforator flap, anterolateral thigh perforator flap, thoracodorsal artery perforator flap, lateral thigh perforator flap, posterior interosseous artery perforator flap, collateral radial artery perforator flap, medial sural artery perforator flap, posterior tibial artery perforator flap, deep circumflex iliac artery perforator flap and peroneal artery perforator flap. The maximum size of the perforator flap was 44 cmx 9 cm, the minimum size of the perforator flap was 4 em x 2 cm.The donor defect was closed directly. Results Venous congestion occurred in 5 flaps, in 1 case venous congestion was overcomed after released the dressing, 4 flaps requiring reexploration for venous insufficiency,2 had a successful outcome, the other 2 flaps failed . The other 103 flaps were successful. The wounds healed without any infection complications. The follow-up ranges from 6-24 months( 10 months on average). The flaps were of good appearance and not bulky; there were only linear scars on the donor sites, the cosmesis and function of the donor sites were satisfying. Conclusion The muscle, deep fascia and motor nerve are not contained in the flap, the advantages of this type of flap is reducing morbidity of the donor site and its reliable blood supply and suitable thickness for resurfacing, no secondary debuiking is necessary. The perforator flaps can be chosen as the first option to deal with superficial extremity wounds. Key words: Perforator flaps; Limbs; Transplantation; Reconstruction ; Mierosurgery

Radial Artery Perforator Flap

Soft tissue defects in the hand and wrist can be challenging problems for the hand surgeon. The retrograde radial forearm fasciocutaneous flap has emerged in recent years as the workhorse flap to cover many hand and wrist defects. However, recognition of the intrinsic limitations of this flap has led to the development of other alternative flaps to provide soft tissue coverage for this region. The radial artery perforator flap has many of the benefits of the radial forearm flap but minimizes the disadvantages, such as the need to sacrifice the radial artery, color and bulk mismatch of the flap and recipient tissues, and donor site appearance. In this article, we will review the indications for using the radial artery perforator flap to cover hand and wrist soft tissue defects. We will discuss the surgical anatomy, indications, operating technique, rehabilitation protocol, potential complications, and pearls and pitfalls for use of this flap for upper-extremity defects.

Shape-Modified Radial Artery Perforator Flap Method: Analysis of 112 Cases

To overcome the donor-site morbidity associated with radial forearm flaps, many modifications of this technique have been reported, including the development of the perforator flap method. In this article, the authors analyze the efficacy of their shape-modified radial artery perforator flap method. The authors analyzed all of their 112 cases of reconstruction with the shape-modified method with regard to the cause of injury, recipient site, whether the flap was free or pedicled, flap size, number of components that were divided by perforators, flap survival, and quality of the outcome. Donor-site morbidity, including the development of scars and dorsal hand numbness, was also evaluated. The reconstructed areas were the head and neck (27 cases, 24.1 percent), upper extremity (58 cases, 51.8 percent), and lower extremity (27 cases, 24.1 percent). Free flaps were used in 75 cases (67.0 percent). In total, 109 flaps (97.3 percent) survived completely, but three free flaps exhibited venous thrombosis. In terms of aesthetics, 48 cases had excellent outcomes (42.9 percent), 61 cases had good outcomes (54.5 percent), and three cases had poor outcomes (2.7 percent). Impaired blood circulation and numbness of the donor hand were never observed, but one patient complained about a donor-site cosmetic problem. The authors' flap can be considered as a kind of propeller flap. It also resembles the flap-in-flap method. It is suitable for a wide range of surgical indications and is useful and safe in not only adults but also young and elderly patients.

Use of Radial Artery Perforator Flap From Burn-Injured Tissues

The hands and forearms are frequent sites of burn injury, and due to the high concentration of superficial tendons, bones, and joints, flaps are frequently needed to cover defects in these areas. We present a patient who suffered remote electrical injury to the right forearm which later developed into an open wound with exposed tendon. Successful coverage of this defect was accomplished with an islanded fasciocutaneous flap based on perforating arterial branches of the radial artery, which was harvested from an area of burn injury. Surgical treatment of hand and forearm wounds with axial pedicled flaps from areas of burn injury have been reported, but to our knowledge no reports describe the use of perforator flaps.

Reconstruction of limb soft-tissue defects: using pedicle perforator flaps with preservation of major vessels, a report of 45 cases

We report on 45 pedicle perforator flaps without harvesting major vessels in limb reconstruction. Of our patients, 25 had major vessel injury resulting from their initial injury. In the upper extremities, there were 13 posterior interosseous artery perforator flaps, four ulnar artery perforator flaps and three radial artery perforator flaps. In the lower extremities, there were 16 peroneal artery perforator flaps with an axis on the sural nerve, five peroneal artery perforator flaps with an axis on the superficial peroneal nerve and four posterior tibial artery perforator flaps with an axis on the saphenous nerve. There were 42 successes, one total flap loss, one epidermal necrolysis and one distal tip necrosis. Greater utilisation of pedicle perforator flaps probably will occur because they are technically simple to execute, violate only the involved extremity, do not sacrifice a major source vessel, bring similar local tissues into a defect, avoid prolonged immobilisation and do not require microsurgical expertise. The concept of the pedicle perforator flap can be applied to the same axis of a neurocutaneous flap, even in cases with injured cutaneous nerves.

The proximal radial artery perforator flap (PRAP-flap): an anatomical study for its use in elbow reconstruction

We investigated the anatomical vascular basis of the proximal radial artery perforator flap (PRAP-flap) and we report here the first clinical application in a case of reconstructive surgery as an alternative to traditional regional fasciocutaneous pedicled flaps or microsurgery solutions. In 16 unembalmed cadaveric forearms, the radial artery was slowly injected with acrylic resin through the brachial artery and the superficial flexor compartment was dissected. The flap was raised from the lateral and medial sides of the forearm toward the axis represented by the radial artery, and the characteristics (number, diameter, site and interval of origin, and course) of its collaterals were evaluated. In the proximal forearm, the vessels were less numerous (mean values 8.6 vs. 11.5, P < 0.05) but larger in diameter (mean values 0.7 vs. 0.4 mm, P < 0.05) than in the distal forearm. The first four proximal perforator arteries originated within a mean distance of 4.3 cm from the origin of the radial artery, with a 95% confidence interval of 3.8-4.8 cm. The perforator arteries followed the axis of the forearm and anastomosed in the fascial plane, forming longitudinal fan-shaped arterial chains, giving rise to an epifascial vascular network. This anatomical study allowed us to plan and perform a PRAP-flap in a 35-year-old woman who was suffering from comminuted fractures of the olecranon and distal epiphysis of the humerus and soft tissue loss from traumatic injury of the elbow. From the antebrachial surface, a proximally based radial forearm fasciocutaneous flap was raised, with a vascular pedicle of 16 x 5 cm, a cutaneous island of 4 x 5 cm, and a pivot point 5 cm from the interepicondylar line. The flap showed good immediate and long-term viability: it was completely incorporated with good pliability and the patient regained good functional quality of the elbow joint. The anatomical features and the demonstrative reconstructive result obtained in the here-reported surgical case support the clinical evidence that a reliable forearm skin paddle may be raised on a subcutaneous fascial axial pedicle supplied only by proximal perforators of the radial artery. The so-obtained PRAP-flap is useful for the coverage of elbow defects when other reconstructive options are no longer available.

Reconstruction of Hand Soft-Tissue Defects: Alternatives to the Radial Forearm Fasciocutaneous Flap

Soft-tissue defects of the hand and wrist are not an uncommon problem confronting the hand surgeon. Over the past 20 years the retrograde radial forearm fasciocutaneous flap has gained widespread acceptance in reconstruction of these defects. Appreciation of the inherent limitations of this workhorse flap and increased understanding of the blood supply of the upper extremity have prompted the development of several alternative pedicled forearm flaps. Aspects of surgical technique, specific limitations, and indications for the radial forearm fascial flap, the posterior interosseous artery flap, the retrograde radial artery perforator flap, and the dorsal ulnar artery flap are discussed and a reconstructive algorithm for flap selection is presented.

RADIAL ARTERY PERFORATOR FLAP

RADIAL ARTERY PERFORATOR FLAP