OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical application of flow-through deep inferior epigastric perforator flaps for reconstruction of large defects at the extremities.

METHODSThe deep inferior and superior epigastric arteries were designed as the axial vessel and the arterial supply to the flap was the paraumbilical perforator artery. Free deep inferior epigastric perforator flaps were harvested in flow- through manners to reconstruct associated arterial defect in the wound. The sensation assessment,Enneking score,and questionnaire of the flap aesthetic were all performed during follow-up period.

RESULTSFrom December 2011 to September 2012, 5 patients with large defects at extremities were treated. The deep inferior and superior epigastric arteries were designed as the axial vessel and the arterial supply to the flap was the paraumbilical perforator artery. The wound defects ranged form 11 cm x 5 cm to 30 cm x 11 cm. And the flap size ranged from 13 cm x7 cm to 33 cm x 13 cm. All flaps survived completely. The recipient arteries were all bypassed well documented by color Doppler examinations. All cases had 12-24 months' follow-up period. The flaps had good appearance and high aesthetic satisfactory(100%). 12 months after operations, sensation assessment were all S3+, and the Enneking score ratios were 82%-95% ,with 87.2% in average.

CONCLUSIONSFlow-through deep inferior epigastric perforator flaps are reliable and effective for reconstruction of large defects at the extremities with maintenance of the vascular status of the extremities. The flaps can also be designed in transverse or oblique mode for clinical application.

Aged ; Arteries ; Epigastric Arteries ; Esthetics ; Extremities ; blood supply ; surgery ; Humans ; Leg Injuries ; surgery ; Perforator Flap ; blood supply ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures

In 1973, Daniel and Taylor reported the first successful microsurgical transplantation of the groin flap as a one-stage reconstrutive procedure. The free vascularized groin flap has several advantages, such as its potenitally large size, comfortable position of the patient during operation, minimal donor site morbidity, possible coverage of the donor site scar with a bikini, its multiple arterial and venous system, and the potential for incorporating bone with the overlying skin. The authors perfomed free groin flaps in 36 patients at Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine from January 1985 to August 1988. The results were as follows : 1. Good results were obtained in 26 of 36 cases with a 72.2% success rate. The results were better in the upper extremity than the lower extremity. 2. The anatomical classification of the superficial circumflex iliac artery was as follows : a common origin of the superficial circumflex iliac artery and the superficial inferior epigastric artery in 39.5% of cases, an absent superficial inferior epigastric artery with a large compensatory superficial circumflex iliac artery in 36.8%, separate origins of the two vessels in 7.9%, and an origin from a profunda femoral artery in 15.8%. This result was similar to that of Daniel and Taylor. 3. The average diameter of the artery was 1.0mm and the average length of the vascular pedicle was 9.0mm. 4. The results were better in the end to side anastomosis than the end to end anastomosis, but there was no statistical significance. 5. In the 10 failed cases, free scapular flaps were performed in 4 cases, skin grafts in 5 cases, and the cross leg flap in one case. 6. The donor sites healed well by primary closure without functional disturbance except in one cases in which secondary closure was done. In conclusion, the free vascularized groin flap can be used without restriction as a onestage reconstruction of an extensive soft tissue injury of the extremity.
Arteries ; Cicatrix ; Classification ; Epigastric Arteries ; Extremities ; Femoral Artery ; Groin ; Humans ; Iliac Artery ; Leg ; Lower Extremity ; Skin ; Soft Tissue Injuries ; Tissue Donors ; Transplants ; Upper Extremity

OBJECTIVETo explore the feasibility and the effect of free chimeric perforator flap with deep inferior epigastric artery for the soft tissue defect on the lower extremity with deep dead space.

METHODSFrom Mar. 2010 to Aug. 2011, 8 patients with soft tissue defects on the lower extremities combined with dead space, bone or joint exposure were reconstructed with free hinged perforator flaps with deep inferior epigastric artery. The muscle flap was inserted into the deep dead space, with perforator flap for superficial defect. The defects on the donor sites were closed directly.

RESULTSAll the flaps survived with primary healing. Good color and texture was achieved. The patients were followed up for 12-24 months, with an average of 16 months. 2 over-thick flaps were treated by flap-thinning surgery. Only linear scar was left on the donor site on abdomen with no malfunction.

CONCLUSIONSThe free chimeric perforator flap with deep inferior epigastric artery can simultaneously construct the dead space and superficial defect with only anastomosis of one set of vascular pedicle. It is an ideal method with good results on recipientsites and less morbidity on donor sites.

Cicatrix ; Epigastric Arteries ; transplantation ; Feasibility Studies ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Leg Injuries ; surgery ; Lower Extremity ; Perforator Flap ; transplantation ; Soft Tissue Injuries ; surgery ; Time Factors ; Wound Healing

Laparoscopic procedures have been accepted as a safe, effective treatment modalities and are well tolerated by patients. Although incidences of major vascular injuries following laparoscopic procedures are rare, they are important in that they can cause serious morbidity or death. From February 1993 to November 1996, we experienced 3 cases of vessel injury during laparoscopic surgery. In the first case, the right hepatic artery was injured during a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. We converted to open surgery immediately. The second case involved a scrotal hematoma which developed immediately after a transabdominal preperitoneal(TAPP) laparoscopic hernia repair. We opened the inguinal region anteriorly 2 days after the surgery and confirmed the bleeding from the inferior epigastric artery. In the third case, the left common iliac artery was injured during trocar insertion for a laparoscopic appendectomy, and it was unnoticed. One hour after the operation, we had to open the abdomen due to fresh bleeding from the drainage. All three patients had no morbidity or mortality after the definite surgery. We conclude that if there is any suspicion of vascular injuries, immediate conversion to open procedures is mandatory, and appropriate vascular surgical techniques should be applied to lessen the morbidity and the mortality.
Abdomen ; Appendectomy ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic ; Drainage ; Epigastric Arteries ; Hematoma ; Hemorrhage ; Hepatic Artery ; Herniorrhaphy ; Humans ; Iliac Artery ; Incidence ; Laparoscopy* ; Mortality ; Surgical Instruments ; Vascular System Injuries*

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effectiveness of folded transverse superficial epigastric artery perforator flap in repairing the large penetrating defect after buccal carcinoma resection. METHODS: Between January 2019 and June 2021, 12 patients with buccal squamous cell carcinoma were treated. There were 6 males and 6 females with an average of 66.9 years (range, 53-79 years). The pathological stage was T3a-T4b, and the preoperative mouth opening was (3.08±0.46) cm. The disease duration ranged from 6 to 24 months, with an average of 15 months. After buccal carcinoma radical resection and neck lymph node dissection, the penetrating defects in size of 8 cm×6 cm to 16 cm×8 cm and in depth of 0.5-1.5 cm were remained. The transverse superficial epigastric artery perforator flap in size of 8 cm×6 cm to 14 cm×8 cm were harvested and folded to repair the penetrating defects. The donor site was sutured directly. RESULTS: All 12 skin flaps survived after operation, and the wounds healed by first intention. No internal or external fistula complications occurred. All incisions at the recipient site healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 12-18 months (mean, 14 months). There was no obvious abnormality in the color and texture of the flap, the oral and facial appearances were symmetrical, and there was no obvious swelling in the cheek. At last follow-up, the patient's mouth opening was (2.89±0.33) cm, which was not significantly different from that before operation ( t=1.879, P=0.087). The subjective satisfaction scores of 12 patients were 6-8 points, with an average of 7.3 points. Significant scars remained at the donor site but concealed in location. CONCLUSION The folded transverse superficial epigastric artery perforator flap can be used as a surgical method for repairing large penetrating defects after the buccal carcinoma resection, with a good recovery of facial appearance and oral function.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Plastic Surgery Procedures ; Perforator Flap/blood supply* ; Skin Transplantation/methods* ; Epigastric Arteries/surgery* ; Soft Tissue Injuries/surgery* ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/surgery* ; Treatment Outcome

Breast reconstruction with autologous tissue has been generally accepted as a reliable procedure, the preferred donor site being lower abdominal tissue. To sacrifice the minimal amount of muscle tissue and to reduce donor site morbidity, the concept of a perforator flap was applied to the fields of breast reconstruction, such as the deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEAp) flap. The DIEAp flap provides essentially the same soft tissue components as the transverse rectus abdominis muscle (TRAM) flap while significantly reducing harvesting of the rectus muscle from the abdominal wall, thereby minimizing donor site morbidity; which includes abdominal weakness, hernia, and postoperative pain, with decreased recovery time. However, there are some concerns about the tedious and risky dissection of intramuscular perforators, and the variable vascularity of the flap supplied by tiny perforators. According to our novel flap harvesting techniques, using bipolar electrocauterization for intramuscular dissection is useful in preventing injury to the tiny perforators. Including some fibers of rectus muscle and soft tissue without full isolation and skeletonization around the pedicles is also useful for prevention of vascular injury and intraoperative vessel spasms. Moreover, the flap must include 2 to 3 reliable perforators, regardless of lateral or medial rows, for prevention of postoperative fat necrosis. The superficial inferior epigastric vein can provide additional venous drainage. These surgical tips can aid in overcoming the pitfalls of the DIEA perforator flap in breast reconstruction. The DIEAp flap is an excellent choice for breast reconstruction. According to our experience, it has been shown to be a safe and reliable method for providing good results and patient satisfaction with minimal donor morbidity in breast reconstruction.
Abdominal Wall ; Breast ; Drainage ; Epigastric Arteries ; Ethylamines ; Fat Necrosis ; Female ; Glycosaminoglycans ; Hernia ; Humans ; Mammaplasty ; Muscles ; Pain, Postoperative ; Patient Satisfaction ; Perforator Flap ; Rectus Abdominis ; Skeleton ; Spasm ; Tissue Donors ; Vascular System Injuries ; Veins

Therapeutic paracentesis is considered to be a relatively safe procedure and is performed commonly for the control of massive ascites in patients with liver cirrhosis. The commonest puncture site, approximately 4 or 5 cm medial of left anterior superior iliac spine, can be located across the route of the inferior epigastric artery, which is one of the sites of potential massive bleeding. In a 46-year-old woman with liver cirrhosis and refractory ascites, a huge abdominal wall hematoma developed after therapeutic paracentesis. The patient was not stabilized by conservative treatment, and inferior epigastric artery injury was confirmed on angiography. Angiographic coil embolization of the inferior epigastric artery was conducted, after which the bleeding ceased and the hematoma stopped growing. This case indicates that physicians performing paracentesis should be aware of the possibility of inferior epigastric artery injury and consider early angiographic coil embolization when a life-threatening abdominal wall hematoma develops.
Abdominal Wall ; Angiography ; Ascites/surgery ; Embolization, Therapeutic ; Epigastric Arteries/*injuries ; Female ; Hematoma/*etiology/radiography/therapy ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis/*diagnosis ; Middle Aged ; Paracentesis/*adverse effects ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Wounds, Nonpenetrating/complications