ObjectiveTo explore the effectiveness and operation of repairing multiple soft tissue defects in hands with lateral arm lobulated flaps. MethodBetween October 2013 and September 2015, 13 cases of multiple soft tissue defects in the hand with tendon or bone exposure were treated with lateral arm lobulated flaps. All patients were males with average age of 28 years (range, 23-45 years). Defects were caused by penetrating injury in 7 cases, traffic accident injury in 3 cases, and hot-crush injury in 3 cases. Six patients had skin defect of the left 2 fingers after opening finger amputation, and 7 patients had skin defect of the palm and the back after hand injury. The size of skin defects ranged from 6 cm×5 cm to 9 cm×6 cm. All patients underwent emergency debridement and two-stage repair; the duration from injury to operation was 5-9 days (mean, 7 days). The size of flap was 6 cm×5 cm-9 cm×6 cm. ResultsAll flaps survived completely, with no vascular crisis. Primary healing was obtained at donor and recipient sites, and the grafted skin survived. All cases were followed up 3-24 months (mean, 12 months). The appearance and texture of the flaps were similar to those of adjacent skin. Bulky flap was observed in 4 cases, and second stage operation was performed to make the flap thinner at 3 months after operation. The sensation of flap reached S3-S4. ConclusionsThe lateral arm lobulated flap based on the radial collateral artery has constant vascular anatomy, easy-to-harvest, and large rotation angle. It is an effective procedure to repair small and medium size skin defects of the hand with satisfied texture and sensory recovery.
Objective To analyze the clinical characteristics of scar cancer ulcer wound of head and face, and to investigate its diagnosis and treatment. MethodsThe clinical data of 14 patients with head and facial scar cancer ulcer wounds who met the selection criteria and admitted between January 2021 and March 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 8 males and 6 females. The age of onset ranged from 21 to 81 years with an average age of 61.6 years. The incubation period ranged from 1 month to 70 years, with a median of 4 years. Site of the disease included 7 cases of head, 6 cases of maxillofacial region, and 1 case of neck region. Injury factors included trauma in 5 cases, scratch in 5 cases, scalding in 2 cases, burn in 1 case, and needle puncture in 1 case. Pathological results showed squamous cell carcinoma in 9 cases, basal cell carcinoma in 3 cases, sebaceous adenocarcinoma in 1 case, papillary sweat duct cystadenoma combined with tubular apocrine sweat gland adenoma in 1 case. There was 1 case of simple extensive tumor resection, 1 case of extensive tumor resection and skin grafting repair, 7 cases of extensive tumor resection and local flap repair, and 5 cases of extensive tumor resection and free flap repair. ResultsAll the 14 patients were followed up 16-33 months (mean, 27.8 months). Two patients (14.29%) had scar cancer ulcer wound recurrence, of which 1 patient recurred at 2 years after 2 courses of postoperative chemotherapy, and was still alive after oral traditional Chinese medicine treatment. One patient relapsed at 1 year after operation and died after 2 courses of chemotherapy. One patient underwent extensive resection of the left eye and periocular tumor and the transfer and repair of the chimaeric muscle axial flap with the perforating branch of the descending branch of the left lateral circumflex femoral artery, but the incision healing was poor after operation, and healed well after anti-infection and debridement suture. The wounds of other patients with scar cancer ulcer did not recur, and the wounds healed well. ConclusionScar cancer ulcer wound of the head and face is common in the middle-aged and elderly male, and the main pathological type is squamous cell carcinoma. Local extensive resection, skin grafting, or flap transfer repair are the main treatment methods. Early active treatment of wounds after various injuries to avoid scar repeated rupture and infection is the foundamental prevention of scar cancer.