The Superficial Inferior Epigastric Artery Interpolated Flap for Closure of Large Anterolateral Thigh Flap Donor Site Defects

The Anterolateral Thigh (ALT) flap has a critical role in head, neck, and extremity reconstruction. Unfortunately, when the ALT flap is dimensionally large, it leaves an open donor site that may not respond optimally to primary or secondary closure. Traditionally, skin grafting has been used to close large ALT flap donor site defects. However, skin grafting offers less than desirable aesthetic and functional results. The purpose of this article is to present the first reported case of a 70-year-old woman with a large ATL donor site defect, not responsive to direct primary closure, which was successfully reconstructed using a superficial inferior epigastric artery (SIEA) interpolated flap. After 3 weeks, the SIEA interpolated flap was divided, with the patient reporting good outcomes after a 3-month follow-up. The authors suggest that a SIEA interpolated flap as a novel potential approach to optimally repair large ALT donor site defects.
Source: Journal of Craniofacial Surgery - Category: Surgery Tags: Brief Clinical Studies Source Type: research