• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.7-12
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• 2013

Purpose: Breast reconstruction with lower abdominal tissue can produce the best outcome with acceptable rates of long-term complication. However, for cases in which sufficient abdominal tissue is not available, an superior gluteal artery perforator (SGAP) flap can be considered as the next option for autologous breast reconstruction. Materials and Methods: Among a total of 63 women who underwent breast reconstruction with free autologous tissue transfer from July 2010 to April 2011, SGAP flap was performed for four patients. In two cases, patients did not have enough abdominal tissue for sizable breast reconstruction. In another case, the patient had a long abdominal scar due to donor hepatectomy of liver transplantation. In the last case, which was a revisional case after radiation necrosis of a previous pedicled transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous (TRAM) flap, a large amount of healthy skin and soft tissue was needed. SGAP flap was elevated in lateral decubitus position. The internal mammary vessels were used for recipient vessels in all cases. Results: Breast reconstruction was performed successfully in all four cases without flap loss. Donor site complication was not observed, except for one case of seroma. The shape of the reconstructed breast was satisfactory in all patients. Conclusion: SGAP flap is an excellent alternative option for the TRAM or deep inferior epigastric artery perforator flap for breast reconstruction. In terms of narrower width, harder consistency of soft tissue, and shorter pedicle, it is clear that the SGAP flap is less competent than the TRAM flap. However, in cases where abdominal tissue is not available, SGAP flap is the only way of providing a large amount of healthy tissue.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• 제16권1호
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• pp.48-51
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• 2007

There could be several methods for trochanteric reconstruction including local flap, pedicled perforator flaps, free flap, etc. We performed greater trochanteric reconstruction with lumbar artery perforator free flap in some aberrant method. So we report this experience with review of literatures. A 42-year-old man visited our hospital with a large soft tissue defect in his left greater trochanteric area by traffic accident. The patient had wide skin and soft tissue defect combined with open femur fracture. During one month period of admission, he underwent femur open reduction and wound debridement four times. After that we planned thoracodorsal perforator free flap reconstruction. The flap was outlined as large as $20{\times}15\;cm$ and elevated in a suprafascial plane from the lateral border. During intramuscular perforator dissection, we found that two 1.5 mm diametered perforator vessels coursed inferomedially toward second lumbar region. Finally the flap became lumbar artery perforator flap based on second lumbar artery perforator as a main pedicle. After flap transfer, the perforator vessels were connected with inferior gluteal artery and vein microsurgically. The operation was successful without uneventful course. We found no significant postoperative complication and donor site morbidity during six months follow up periods. Lumbar artery perforator flap could be an alternative procedure for thoracodorsal perforator flap in some patients with anatomic variant features.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• 제25권2호
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• pp.72-74
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• 2016

The keystone flap is a fascia-based island flap with two conjoined V-Y flaps. Here, we report a case of successful treatment of a trochanter pressure sore patient with the traditional keystone flap. A 50-year-old male patient visited our department with a $3{\times}5cm$ pressure sore (grade III) to the left of the greater trochanter that was covered with eschar. Debridement was done and the defect size increased to $5{\times}8cm$ in an elliptical shape. Doppler ultrasound was then used to locate the inferior gluteal artery perforator near the wound. The keystone flap was designed to the medial side. The perforator based keystone island flap covered the defect without resistance. The site remained clean, and no dehiscence, infection, hematoma, or seroma developed. In general, greater trochanter pressure sores are covered with a perforator based propeller flap or fascia lata flap. However, these flaps have the risk of pedicle kinking and require a large operation site. For the first time, we successfully applied the keystone flap to treat a greater trochanter pressure sore patient. Our design was also favorable with the relaxation skin tension lines. We conclude that the keystone flap including a perforator is a reliable option to reconstruct trochanteric pressure sores.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• 제40권3호
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• pp.173-180
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• 2013

As microvascular techniques continue to improve, perforator flap free tissue transfer is now the gold standard for autologous breast reconstruction. Various options are available for breast reconstruction with autologous tissue. These include the free transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous (TRAM) flap, deep inferior epigastric perforator flap, superficial inferior epigastric artery flap, superior gluteal artery perforator flap, and transverse/vertical upper gracilis flap. In addition, pedicled flaps can be very successful in the right hands and the right patient, such as the pedicled TRAM flap, latissimus dorsi flap, and thoracodorsal artery perforator. Each flap comes with its own advantages and disadvantages related to tissue properties and donor-site morbidity. Currently, the problem is how to determine the most appropriate flap for a particular patient among those potential candidates. Based on a thorough review of the literature and accumulated experiences in the author's institution, this article provides a logical approach to autologous breast reconstruction. The algorithms presented here can be helpful to customize breast reconstruction to individual patient needs.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.33-37
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• 2013

Purpose: The concept and development of perforator free flaps have led to significant advances in microsurgery. Ongoing developments in perforator free flap surgery are aimed at reducing complications and improving surgical outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and application of supermicrosurgery in free flap surgery. Materials and Methods: A total of 267 patients with soft tissue defects of the lower extremity due to various etiologies from January, 2007 to January, 2013. The patients received either an anterolateral thigh free flap (n=83), a superficial circumflex iliac artery free flap (n=152), an upper medial thigh free flap (n=19), or a superior gluteal artery perforator free flap (n=13). Microanastomosis was performed using a perforator-to-perforator technique, either end-to-end or end-to-side. Results: The mean postoperative follow up period was eight months (range: one to 16 months) and flap loss occurred in 11 cases out of 267. All cases of flap loss occurred within two weeks of surgery due to either arterial insufficiency (n=5) or venous congestion (n=6). Conclusion: Supermicrosurgery enables the selection of the most efficient perforator for microanastomosis at the defect site. It also reduces the time required for dissection of recipient vessels, and reduces the possibility of injury to major vessels. Microsurgery using a vessel of less than 1 mm has been reported to increase the risk of flap failure; however, using the most advanced surgical tools and developing experience in the technique can produce success rates similar to those found in the literature.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• 제49권5호
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• pp.604-607
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• 2022

Nontuberculous mycobacterial hardware infections are extremely challenging to treat. Multidisciplinary care involving removal of infected hardware, thorough debridement, and durable soft tissue coverage in conjunction with antibiotic therapy is essential for successful management. This case report presents a patient with chronic mycobacterial spinal hardware infection that underwent successful treatment with aggressive serial debridements and reconstruction with a large pedicled superior gluteal artery perforator flap coverage.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• 제45권6호
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• pp.550-556
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• 2018

Background To achieve improvements in intramuscular injection, autologous fat grafting, and gluteal artery perforator flaps in infants and children, the relationships of computed tomography (CT)-determined gluteal muscle thickness (MT) and subcutaneous tissue thickness (SCT) with age and body mass index (BMI) were analyzed. Methods Gluteal SCT and MT at ventrogluteal (VG) and dorsogluteal (DG) sites were measured in a standardized manner in 350 patients aged 0 to 6 years who had visited a tertiary hospital and had undergone abdominopelvic CT between January 2005 and December 2016. Recorded measurements were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and stepwise multiple regression to identify the factors that were most closely related to MT and SCT. Results Subcutaneous tissue at VG sites was thinner than at DG sites, but not significantly so in any age group. Muscles tended to be thinner at VG sites in 4 to 7-year-old, but thicker at VG sites in 1 to 3-year-old, though the differences were not significant. MT in the VG and DG regions was found to be related to age, and SCT in these regions to be related to age and BMI. Conclusions The VG and DG sites should be considered as alternatives for intramuscular injection in infants and children when the anterolateral site is problematic. In addition, considering the gluteal MT and SCT of infants and children should help produce good results in autologous fat grafting and gluteal artery perforator flap harvesting.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• 제41권2호
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• pp.133-139
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• 2014

Background Various shapes and designs of the gluteal artery perforator flap have been used for treating sacral pressure sores and reconstructing breasts. To establish the ideal fasciocutaneous flap design for use in the gluteal area, the soft tissue thickness distribution was measured. Methods Twenty-one buttocks of adult Korean cadavers were analyzed through rectangular subfascial dissection. Each buttock was divided horizontally into 10 sections and vertically into 10 sections, and then, the thickness at the corners of the sections was measured. For the sake of comparison and statistical verification with living bodies, computed tomography (CT) images of 120 buttocks of patients were randomly selected. Five horizontal sections and 4 vertical sections were made, and the thickness at each corner was recorded. Results According to the dissection and the CT images, the area with the thinnest soft tissues in the buttock was around the posterior superior iliac spine, close to the sacral area. The thickest area was the superolateral area of the buttock, which was 3.24 times and 2.15 times thicker than the thinnest area in the studies on cadaver anatomy and the CT images, respectively. Conclusions The thickness of the soft tissues in the buttocks differed by area. The superolateral area had the thickest soft tissues, and the superomedial area had the thinnest. This study includes information on the distribution of the thickness of the gluteal soft tissues of Koreans. The outcome of this study may contribute to the design of effective local flaps for pressure sore reconstruction and free flaps for breast reconstruction.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• 제49권4호
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• pp.494-500
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• 2022

Background Seroma formation is the most common donor site complication following autologous breast reconstruction, along with hematoma. Seroma may lead to patient discomfort and may prolong hospital stay or delay adjuvant treatment. The aim of this study was to compare seroma rates between the deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP), transverse musculocutaneous gracilis (TMG), and superior gluteal artery perforator (SGAP) donor sites. Methods The authors conducted a retrospective single-center cohort study consisting of chart review of all patients who underwent microsurgical breast reconstruction from April 2018 to June 2020. The primary outcome studied was frequency of seroma formation at the different donor sites. The secondary outcome evaluated potential prognostic properties associated with seroma formation. Third, the number of donor site seroma evacuations was compared between the three donor sites. Results Overall, 242 breast reconstructions were performed in 189 patients. Demographic data were found statistically comparable between the three flap cohorts, except for body mass index (BMI). Frequency of seroma formation was highest at the SGAP donor site (75.0%), followed by the TMG (65.0%), and DIEP (28.6%) donor sites. No association was found between seroma formation and BMI, age at surgery, smoking status, diabetes mellitus, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, or DIEP laterality. The mean number of seroma evacuations was significantly higher in the SGAP and the TMG group compared with the DIEP group. Conclusion This study provides a single center's experience regarding seroma formation at the donor site after microsurgical breast reconstruction. The observed rate of donor site seroma formation was comparably high, especially in the TMG and SGAP group, necessitating an adaption of the surgical protocol.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• 제42권5호
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• pp.596-600
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• 2015

Background The uptake of breast reconstruction is ever increasing with procedures ranging from implant-based reconstructions to complex free tissue transfer. Little emphasis is placed on scarring when counseling patients yet they remain a significant source of morbidity and litigation. The aim of this study was to examine the scarring preferences of men and women in breast oncoplastic and reconstructive surgery. Methods Five hundred men and women were asked to fill out a four-page questionnaire in two large Irish centres. They were asked about their opinions on scarring post breast surgery and were also asked to rank the common scarring patterns in wide local excisions, oncoplastic procedures, breast reconstructions as well as donor sites. Results Fifty-eight percent of those surveyed did not feel scars were important post breast cancer surgery. 61% said that their partners' opinion of scars were important. The most preferred wide local excision scar was the lower lateral quadrant scar whilst the scars from the deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEP) flap were most favoured. The superior gluteal artery perforator flap had the most preferred donor site while surprisingly, the DIEP had the least favourite donor site. Conclusions Scars are often overlooked when planning breast surgery yet the extent and position of the scar needs to be outlined to patients and it should play an important role in selecting a breast reconstruction option. This study highlights the need for further evaluation of patients' opinions regarding scar patterns.