Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35526841›Full record

ArticleArchives of craniofacial surgery2022

Perforating patterns of cutaneous perforator vessels in anterolateral thigh flaps for head and neck reconstruction and clinical outcomes.

Sang Soo Lee, Jong Won Hong, Won Jae Lee, In-Sik Yun

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Archives of craniofacial surgery, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
1.1field-weighted citation impact, top 24% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Sang Soo LeeDepartment of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Jong Won HongInstitute for Human Tissue Restoration, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Won Jae LeeInstitute for Human Tissue Restoration, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
In-Sik YunDepartment of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Yonsei University · KR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAnterolateral thigh (ALT) flaps are versatile soft tissue flaps that have become the standard soft-tissue flaps used for head and neck reconstruction. They provide a long vascular pedicle, constant vessel diameter, abundant soft tissue coverage, and minimal donor site morbidity. The ALT flap was initially designed on the basis of a septocutaneous (SC) perforator. However, more recent research has shown that a substantial number of ALT flaps are now based on musculocutaneous (MC) perforators, and the ratio between MC and SC perforators varies among studies. In this study, we analyzed the perforating pattern of ALT flaps along with their clinical outcomes during head and neck reconstruction in the Korean population.

methodsFrom October 2016 to July 2020, 68 patients who had undergone an ALT flap procedure for head and neck reconstruction were enrolled retrospectively. The perforating pattern of the cutaneous perforator vessel (MC perforator/SC perforator/oblique branch), pedicle length, and flap size were analyzed intraoperatively. Patient demographics and flap necrosis rates were also calculated.

resultsThe highest number of cutaneous perforator vessels supplying the ALT flap were the MC perforators (87%). The proportion of MC perforators was significantly higher than that of the SC perforators and oblique branches. Flap necrosis occurred in seven cases (11.86%); sex, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, perforator course, and history of radiotherapy did not significantly affect flap necrosis.

conclusionThe ALT free flap procedure remains popular for reconstruction of the head and neck. In this study, we observed that the majority of cutaneous vessels supplying the flaps were MC perforators (87%). When using the MC perforator during flap elevation, careful dissection of the perforator is required to achieve successful ALT flaps because intramuscular dissection is difficult. Perforator pattern and history of radiotherapy did not affect flap necrosis.

Indexed as

Free flapMicrosurgeryReconstructive surgery

Identifiers

PMID35526841
PMCPMC9081423
OpenAlexW4224936463

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.