gms | German Medical Science

Objectives: To explore and summarize the method of repairing the donor site of the free anterolateral thigh flap.

Method: From March 2014 to May 2015, 8 patients suffered soft tissue defects of hand, foot, including 6 males and 2 females, which were repaired by the free anterolateral thigh flap, the area of donor flap was 9.0 cm×6.0 cm ~ 14.0 cm×8.0 cm. The defects of donor flap were repaired by the "Reading Man" Procedure technique, the perforated and the V-Y propulsion flap, the relay flap. Avoiding to damage the perforated vascular pedicle for ensuring the blood supply of flap, and to increase the movement distance of the flap, the vascular pedicle should be released and separated appropriately and adequately. The large tension of sutured wound increased the edema and the large tension of wounds, the sufficient drainage of wound improved the blood supply of flap, raising the chance of closing the wound directly, avoiding the necrosis of flap and skin grafting.

Results: All free anterolateral thigh flaps and all donor flaps survived, except one the relay flap whoes the distal part was bruising and necrotic then. Necrotic wound healed by the flap of local transposition.

Conclusion: Trying not to add the trauma of the new donor when cutting flaps, the donor of the free anterolateral thigh flap was repaired by such methods of relay flap, kiss flap, local perforation advance, the "Reading Man" Procedure, the area of the donor flap was closed directly , without skin graft. Such methods are an efficient and quick repair methods for the small defect area of such donor flap.