Are Perforators Reliable as Recipient Arteries in Lower Extremity Reconstruction? Analysis of 423 Free Perforator Flaps

Technical Variables in Lower Extremity Free Flap Reconstruction

BACKGROUND

 Lower extremity free flap failure rates are higher than in other areas of the body. While prior studies assessed the effect of intraoperative technical variables, these generally investigated individual variables and did not examine relationships between the many individual technical decisions made during free tissue reconstruction. Our purpose was to investigate the effect of variation in intraoperative microsurgical techniques on flap outcomes in a diverse cohort of patients requiring lower extremity free flap coverage.

METHODS

 Consecutive patients undergoing free flap reconstruction of the lower extremity at two level 1 trauma centers from January 2002 to January 2020 were identified using Current Procedural Terminology codes, followed by a review of medical records. Information regarding demographics and comorbidities, indications, intraoperative technical details, and complications was collected. Outcomes of interest included an unplanned return to the operating room, arterial thrombosis, venous thrombosis, partial flap failure, and total flap failure. Bivariate analysis was performed.

RESULTS

 In total, 410 patients underwent 420 free tissue transfers. The median follow-up time was 17 months (interquartile ranges: 8.0-37). Total flap failure occurred in 4.9% (n = 20), partial flap failure in 5.9% (n = 24), and unplanned reoperation in 9.0% (n = 37), with arterial thrombosis in 3.2% (n = 13) and venous thrombosis in 5.4% (n = 22). Overall complications were significantly associated with recipient artery choice, with arteries other than PT and AT/DP having a higher rate (p = 0.033), and with arterial revisions (p = 0.010). Total flap failure was also associated with revision of the arterial anastomosis (p = 0.035), and partial flap failure was associated with recipient artery choice (p = 0.032).

CONCLUSION

 Many interoperative options and techniques are available when performing microvascular lower extremity reconstruction that leads to equally high success rates. However, the use of arterial inflow outside of the posterior tibial and anterior tibial arteries leads to a higher overall complication rate and partial flap failure rate. Intraoperative revision of the arterial anastomosis portends poorly for ultimate flap survival.

Supermicrosurgery with perforator-to-perforator anastomoses for lower limb reconstructions - A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Supermicrosurgical flaps based on perforator-to-perforator microanastomoses have been described for lower limb reconstruction. This approach offers the benefit of raising short pedicles while sparing axial vessels, which effectively enables complex reconstructive techniques in comorbid patients at high risk of reconstructive failure. The aim of our study is to assess the surgical outcomes of perforator-to-perforator based flaps in comparison to conventional free flaps for reconstructions of the lower limb district, through a systematic review of literature and meta-analysis.

METHODS

A search on PubMed, Embase, Cohrane, and Web of Science was performed between March-July 2022. No restrictions were placed on study date. Only English manuscripts were assessed. Reviews, short communications, letters, correspondence were excluded after reviewing their references for potentially relevant studies. A Bayesian approach was used to conduct the meta-analysis comparing flap-related outcomes.

RESULTS

From 483 starting citations, 16 manuscripts were included for full-text analysis in the review, and three were included in the meta-analysis. Out of 1556 patients, 1047 received a perforator-to-perforator flap. Complications were reported in 119 flaps (11.4%), which included total flap failure in 71 cases (6.8%), partial flap failure in 47 cases (4.5%). Overall flap complications had a HR of 1.41 (0.94-2.11; 95% C.I.). Supermicrosurgical and conventional microsurgical reconstructions were not associated with statistically significant differences (p = .89).

CONCLUSION

Our evidence supports the safety of surgical outcomes, with acceptable flap complication rates. Nevertheless, these findings are limited by poor overall quality which must be addressed and used to encourage higher-level evidence in the field.

Usefulness of perforating branches of the deep femoral artery and vein as recipient vessels during free-flap reconstruction for extensive defects of the thigh

The perforating branches of the deep femoral artery and vein are considered useful recipient vessels during free-flap reconstruction for extensive defects extending from the knee to the mid-thigh or from the lateral to the posterior region of the thigh. Despite being located deep between the adductor longus and magnus muscles, they can be easily identified, allowing for a sufficient surgical field for the vascular anastomosis. Approximately four perforators from the deep femoral artery can be found on the posterior aspect of the thigh, easily identified by dissecting the semitendinosus and biceps femoris muscles. The calibre and length of the perforators were suitable for vascular anastomosis. In this study, we present three cases of free-flap reconstruction for extensive thigh defects using perforating branches of the deep femoral artery and vein as recipient vessels.