[Clinical applications of anterolateral thigh flap].

OBJECTIVE

To discuss different applications of anterolateral thigh flap in repairing large skin-soft tissue defects.

METHODS

From January 1997 to July 2004, 27 patients with large-complex tissue defects were treated using anterolateral thigh flap. The tissue defect was located at face in 9 cases, at cervix in 4 cases, at lower limbs in 6 cases, at vulvae in 4 cases, at hip in 1 case, at groin in 1 case and at breast tissue in 2 cases. The defect area was from 9 cm X 8 cm to 20 cm X 15 cm and the flap was harvested from 10 cm X 8 cm to 33 cm X 15 cm.

RESULTS

Flaps survived in 26 cases after operation, and patients were satisfied with local function and appearance; flap necrosis occurred only in 1 case, and the defect was covered with free skin graft after dress exchanges. Twenty-three cases were followed up from 3 months to 2 years. The appearance and the sense of recipient site were similar to the adjacent tissue. No obvious malformation of the donor site was observed. No local recurrence was found in the 6 cases of malignancy during the follow-up from 6 months to 15 months.

CONCLUSION

Anterolateral thigh skin flap can provide enough tissue to repair large skin-soft tissue defect, and can be used in different ways. So anterolateral femoral skin flap is an ideal flap in repairing large skin-soft tissue defect.