ObjectiveTo study the effectiveness of digital technique in repairing of heel wound with peroneal artery perforator propeller flap.MethodsBetween March 2016 and March 2019, the heel wounds of 31 patients were repaired with the peroneal artery perforator propeller flaps. There were 21 males and 10 females, with an average age of 36 years (range, 12-53 years). Seventeen patients were admitted to hospital in emergency after trauma, the time from injury to admission was 6.0-12.5 hours, with an average of 8.5 hours; 14 patients were chronic infectious wounds and ulcer. The wound area ranged from 5 cm×4 cm to 12 cm×8 cm. Before flap repair, CT angiography (CTA) data of lower extremity was imported into Mimics19.0 software and three-dimensional reconstruction of peroneal artery perforator and skin model, accurate location of perforator, accurate design of perforator flap, and simulated operation according to the defect range and location were obtained.ResultsThe origin and course of peroneal artery perforator, the position of perforator, the diameter of perforator, and the maximum length of the naked perforator were determined based on the three-dimensional model. There was no significant difference in locating point of perforator, diameter of perforator, maximum length of naked perforator between the pre- and intra-operative measurements (P>0.05). The position of the lower perforator of the peroneal artery were on the posterolateral lateral ankle tip (5-10 cm) in 31 cases. The total incidence of perforating branches within 10 cm on the tip of lateral malleolus was 96.9%, and the length of vascular pedicle was (3.44±0.65) cm. The flap removal and transposition in 31 patients were successfully completed. The average operation time was 45 minutes (range, 30-65 minutes). After operation, vein crisis and partial necrosis occurred in 4 cases and 3 cases, respectively, which were survived after symptomatic treatment. All the grafts survived and the incisions healed by first intention. All the patients were followed up 3-18 months, with an average of 12 months. At last follow-up, according to the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) score, 17 cases were excellent, 11 cases were good, and 3 cases were fair, and the excellent and good rate was 87.5%.ConclusionThe digital technique can improve the accuracy of perforator localization and the design of peroneal artery perforator propeller flap, and reduce the difficulty of operation, and the risk caused by the variation of vascular anatomy.
ObjectiveTo investigate clinical application of the free peroneal artery perforator flap in soft tissue defect of foot and ankle.MethodsThe clinical data of 18 patients with soft tissue defects of foot and ankle who were repaired with free peroneal artery perforator flaps between March 2019 and March 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, there were 11 males and 7 females; the age ranged from 21 to 58 years, with an average age of 45 years. The defect was located in the ankle in 2 cases, in the hindfoot in 4 cases, in the midfoot in 5 cases, and in the forefoot in 7 cases. The causes of injury included 11 cases of traffic accident, 4 cases of machine injuries, 3 cases of infection and necrosis after internal fixation. The time from injury to flap repair was 12-48 days, with an average of 24 days. The range of wound was 3 cm×3 cm to 15 cm×8 cm, and the range of skin flap was 4 cm×3 cm to 16 cm×9 cm. The flap harvesting time, operation time, intraoperative blood loss, and complications were recorded; the flap survival and patient satisfaction were observed during follow-up; and the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) foot function score was used to evaluate the foot function.ResultsThe flap harvesting time was 15-33 minutes (mean, 22 minutes); the operation time was 120-160 minutes (mean, 150 minutes); the intraoperative blood loss was 90-180 mL (mean, 120 mL). There were 3 cases of vascular crisis after operation, including 2 cases of arterial crisis, which survived after vascular exploration and vein graft repair; 1 case of venous crisis, partial necrosis of the skin flap, and skin grafting to cover the wound after repeated debridement. The remaining 15 skin flaps survived completely. All patients were followed up 6 months. The skin flaps were in good shape without obvious bloat. According to the AOFAS foot function score, 5 cases were excellent, 10 cases were good, and 3 cases were fair. The excellent and good rate was 83.3%.ConclusionThe free peroneal artery perforator flap is easy to harvest, the shape and size of the flap are easy to design, and it does not damage the main blood vessels of the limb. The appearance and function of the limbs are satisfactory after operation. It can be widely used in the repair of soft tissue defects of the foot and ankle.
ObjectiveTo explore the application value of infrared thermography (IRT) technique assisted peroneal artery perforator flap in repairing oral and maxillofacial defects. MethodsThe clinical data of 20 patients with oral and maxillofacial malignant tumors treated with peroneal artery perforator flap between October 2020 and December 2021 were retrospectively analysed. There were 13 males and 7 females, with an average age of 56.5 years (range, 32-76 years). There were 8 cases of tongue cancer, 5 cases of parotid gland cancer, 4 cases of buccal cancer, and 3 cases of mandibular gingival cancer; and 12 cases of squamous cell carcinoma, 3 cases of adenoid cystic carcinoma, and 5 cases of mucoepidermoid carcinoma. Color Doppler ultrasound (CDU) and IRT technique were performed before operation to locate the peroneal artery perforator and assist in the design of the flap. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of CDU and IRT technique were compared with the actual exploration during operation. The accuracy of CDU and IRT technique in detecting the number of peroneal artery perforator and the most viable perforating points was compared. The patients were followed up regularly to observe the recovery of donor and recipient sites, the occurrence of complications, and the recurrence and metastasis of tumors. Results The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of peroneal artery perforators detected by IRT technique before operation were 72.22%, 50.00%, 92.86%, and 16.67% respectively, which were higher than those by CDU (64.17%, 33.33%, 84.62%, and 14.29% respectively). Forty-five peroneal artery perforators were found by CDU before operation, and 35 were confirmed during operation, with an accuracy rate of 77.8%; 43 “hot spots” were found by IRT technique, and 32 peroneal artery perforators were confirmed within the “hot spots” range during operation, with an accuracy rate of 74.4%; there was no significant difference between the two methods (χ²=0.096, P=0.757). The accuracy rates of the most viable perforating points found by CDU and IRT technique were 80.95% (17/21) and 94.74% (18/19), respectively, and there was no significant difference between them (χ²=0.115, P=0.734). The localization errors of CDU and IRT technique were (5.12±2.10) and (4.23±1.87) mm, respectively, and there was no significant difference between them (t=1.416, P=0.165). All the perforator flaps survived, and the incisions of donor and recipient sites healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 5-18 months, with an average of 11 months. The skin flap was soft and had good blood supply, and the lower limb scar was concealed and the lower limb had good function. No lower limb swelling, pain, numbness, ankle instability, or other complications occurred, and no tumor recurrence and metastasis were found during the follow-up. Conclusion Compared with the CDU, using the IRT technique to assist the preoperative peroneal artery perforator flap design to repair the oral and maxillofacial defects has a high clinical application value.