Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41293673›Full record

ArticlePlastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open2025

Three Dimensional-CTA versus Doppler Ultrasound for Anterolateral Thigh Flap Reconstruction in Limb Defects: A Retrospective Study.

Longhua Yu, Yong Jiang, Jin Zhang, Huagang Zhang, Dazhi Yu, Yanqing Chen, Haiyu Fan, Xiuzhong Li

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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

The trial behind it

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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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Longhua YuFrom the Nuclear Medicine Department, No. 971 Hospital of the People's Liberation Army Navy, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China.
Yong JiangDepartment of Burns and Plastic Surgery, No. 971 Hospital of the People's Liberation Army Navy, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China.
Jin ZhangDepartment of Burns and Plastic Surgery, No. 971 Hospital of the People's Liberation Army Navy, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China.
Huagang ZhangDepartment of Burns and Plastic Surgery, No. 971 Hospital of the People's Liberation Army Navy, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China.
Dazhi YuDepartment of Burns and Plastic Surgery, No. 971 Hospital of the People's Liberation Army Navy, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China.
Yanqing ChenDepartment of Burns and Plastic Surgery, No. 971 Hospital of the People's Liberation Army Navy, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China.
Haiyu FanDepartment of Burns and Plastic Surgery, No. 971 Hospital of the People's Liberation Army Navy, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China.
Xiuzhong LiDepartment of Burns and Plastic Surgery, No. 971 Hospital of the People's Liberation Army Navy, Qingdao, Shandong Province, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Soft tissue limb defects often require anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap reconstruction, but anatomical variability of perforator vessels poses a challenge. The comparative efficacy of 3-dimensional computed tomographic angiography (3D-CTA) and color Doppler ultrasonography (CDUS) for preoperative planning remains unclear. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed 95 patients who underwent ALT flap limb reconstruction between March 2017 and May 2023, comparing a 3D-CTA-guided group (n=45) with a CDUS-guided group (n=50). Key outcomes included perforator mapping accuracy, surgical efficiency, postoperative complications, functional and aesthetic results, and cost-effectiveness. Results: Use of 3D-CTA demonstrated superior perforator detection sensitivity (98.4% versus 85.8%, Conclusions: For ALT flap reconstruction in limb defects, 3D-CTA provides superior perforator mapping, enhances surgical efficiency, improves clinical outcomes, and offers greater cost-effectiveness compared with CDUS. These findings support prioritizing 3D-CTA in preoperative planning for complex limb salvage.

Identifiers

PMID41293673
PMCPMC12643651

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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.