Perforator flaps have become very popular in reconstructive surgery. The thoracodorsal and lateral thoracic artery perforator flaps are highly studied, and successful clinical series have been reported, whereas the literature concerning the lateral intercostal and serratus anterior artery perforator flaps is quite poor and their vascular anatomy needs yet to be clarified. We describe a case of free serratus anterior artery perforator flap for the reconstruction of a dorsal defect of the foot, followed by an anatomic and radiological study. A 17-year-old boy reported a fracture of the first and second metatarsal bone of the left foot, with a dorsal skin defect, due to a motorcycle accident. After the osteosynthesis treatment, a perforator was identified through a handheld Doppler in the lateral chest area and a cutaneous paddle was designed. Retrograde dissection revealed the perforator's direct link to the serratus anterior pedicle. In our knowledge, an elucidated method to preoperatively visualize the perforating vessel of the serratus anterior artery has not yet been described. Thus, an anatomic study on 8 hemithorax and a radiological study on 33 computed tomographic angiographies of the chest were carried out to clarify the vascular anatomy of the serratus anterior artery perforators and to verify the possibility of their preoperative visualization. The authors believe that the serratus anterior artery perforator could be preoperatively investigated, thus making this flap a valuable option when harvesting a perforator flap in the lateral chest area.
Introduction:
Multiplication of incisions and/or radiotherapy on the scalp, lead to skin necrosis and chronic osteitis. In this situation, reconstructive surgery can be useful to cover complex lack of tissue.
Materials and Methods:
The 5 patients were treated with the neurosurgery department of our hospital. The procedure included debridement of the infected calvarian bone and tissues and coverage by free antebrachial flap. A 2 stages skin graft, using a dermal regeneration template, or direct closure was used for the donor site. Evaluation of flap quality and donor site morbidity was done during hospitalization and 3 months after the procedure.
Results:
The procedure was achieved on 5 patients. All the patients were healed 3 months after surgery. For 1 patient, a second procedure was done in emergency for anastomosis revision. There was non-complication concerning the donor site. All the patients healed with a good coverage.
Conclusion:
Treatment of calvarian bone necrosis needs a very good and reliable coverage, such as free flap can provide. In our opinion, the antebrachial free flap is an interesting option, despite the fact that it is still underused for scalp coverage.
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