Free-style free flaps

Free-tissue transfer has become the accepted standard for reconstruction of complex defects. With the growth of this field, anatomic studies and clinical work have added many flaps to the armamentarium of the microvascular surgeon. Further advancements and experience with techniques of perforator flap surgery have allowed for the harvest of flaps in a free-style manner, where a flap is harvested based only on the preoperative knowledge of Doppler signals present in a specific region. Between June of 2002 and September of 2003, 13 free-style free flaps were harvested from the region of the thigh. All patients presented with an oral or pharyngeal cancer and underwent resection and immediate reconstruction of these flaps. All flaps were cutaneous and were harvested in a suprafascial plane. The average size of the flaps was 108 cm2 (range, 36 to 187 cm2), and the average length of the vascular pedicle was 10 cm (range, 9 to 12 cm). All flaps were successful in achieving wound coverage and functional outcomes without any vascular compromise necessitating re-exploration. Free-style free flaps have become a clinical reality. The concepts and techniques used to harvest a free-style free flap will aid in dealing with anatomic variations that are encountered during conventional flap harvest. Future trends in flap selection will focus mainly on choosing tissue with appropriate texture, thickness, and pliability to match requirements at the recipient site while minimizing donor-site morbidity.     

Cost-based comparison between perforator flaps and TRAM flaps for breast reconstruction

More women than ever before are undergoing mastectomies secondary to increased awareness and screening. This increase has also caused a corresponding increase in the number of breast reconstructions requested each year. The increased demand for reconstruction has fueled recent advances in new techniques. Aside from foreign-body reconstruction such as implants, the methods now being used are related to autogenous donations and reconstruction. Transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous (TRAM) flaps and perforator flaps are currently being used for autogenous breast reconstruction. This study will compare these two techniques on the basis of cost and length of stay. A retrospective study of 49 patients undergoing a total of 64 perforator flap breast reconstructions at Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, during the 1997 calendar year was used. There were 59 deep inferior epigastric perforator and five gluteal artery perforator breast reconstructions. All patients underwent some form of breast reconstruction and differed only in respect to whether a mastectomy was performed and whether the reconstruction was unilateral or bilateral. Those patients who underwent a mastectomy with immediate perforator flap reconstruction (n = 26) were then compared with patients undergoing mastectomy with immediate TRAM flap reconstruction (n = 154) at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. The data from the Anderson Study were obtained from material published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in 1996. Comparison of patients was limited to those who underwent mastectomy with immediate breast reconstruction because this was the design of the M. D. Anderson study. This approach allowed a cost and length of stay comparison while keeping other variables relatively similar. Patients in the perforator flap series enjoyed a marginally shorter operating time and a much shorter length of stay. On average, the operative time for all perforator flap reconstructions was approximately 2 hours shorter than for all TRAM flaps. As for length of stay, perforator flap patients were discharged, on average, 3 days after the initial reconstruction. In contrast, TRAM flap patients remained in the hospital for an average of approximately 7 days after the initial reconstruction. The overall total, average cost for the perforator flap reconstruction in this study is $9625, whereas the average cost of all TRAM flaps performed in the Anderson study is $18,070.     

Two new cutaneous free flaps: the medial and lateral thigh flaps

Two new cutaneous free-flap donor areas are described on the medial and lateral sides of the thigh. The medial thigh flap is supplied by an unnamed artery from the superficial femoral artery and is drained by the accompanying venae comitantes. Its nerve supply is from the medial femoral cutaneous nerve. The lateral thigh flap has its vascular pedicle from the third perforating artery of the profunda femoral artery and its accompanying vein. The lateral femoral cutaneous nerve provides sensation over the area. These flaps provide a large surface area of both skin and subcutaneous tissue without the usual bulk of subcutaneous fat and muscle. Their desirable features include long vascular pedicles with large vessel diameters and potential of being neurovascular flaps with specific sensory nerve supply and predictable anatomy. The principal disadvantage is that the donor site may leave a slight contour defect with primary closure or require grafting when a large flap is taken. We predict that these flaps will become important donor sites for reconstructive problems requiring resurfacing of cutaneous defects in various anatomic areas.     

The pig as an experimental animal in plastic surgery research for the study of skin flaps, myocutaneous flaps and fasciocutaneous flaps

The pig serves as an excellent model of skin flap research. Many flap types are available and flap designs can be modified easily for specific experimental requirements. Swine are large enough to permit multiple flaps and the skin color allows subjective observations of tissue circulation.     

The versatility of pericranial flaps

The pericranium is the source of multiple, dependable, well-vascularized flaps which are of use to the plastic and reconstructive surgeon for multiple defects of the face and skull. Based anteriorly, the flap can cover the entire central third of the face or be transposed intracranially to correct abnormalities of the cribriform plate and dura. Based laterally on the temporalis muscle, the flap can be turned to multiple arcs for reconstruction of the face, ear, and intracranial defects. Donor-site morbidity and complications have been minimal.