Infrared thermography combined with high frequency colour Doppler ultrasound to locate superficial fascia perforators in harvest of super-thin anterolateral thigh flaps
10.3760/cma.j.cn441206-20240205-00041
- VernacularTitle:红外热成像结合高频彩色多普勒超声定位浅筋膜穿支在超薄股前外侧皮瓣切取中的应用
- Author:
Xianhai LI
1
;
Jiandong ZHOU
;
Jie ZHENG
;
Shihui HE
;
Qiwen HU
;
Yuxuan ZHANG
;
Xuemin CHEN
Author Information
1. 舟山医院骨科，舟山 316021
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Infrared thermography;
High frequency colour Doppler ultrasound;
Anterolateral thigh flap;
Super-thin flap;
Perforator location
- From:
Chinese Journal of Microsurgery
2024;47(6):635-640
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To investigate the effect of combination of infrared thermography (IRT) and high frequency colour Doppler ultrasound (HFCDU) in location of superficial fascia perforating vessels and to guide the design and harvest of super-thin anterolateral thigh flap (ALTF) .Methods:A total of 15 patients who received medical treatment in the Department of Orthopaedics, Zhoushan Hospital and Department of Foot and Ankle Surgery, Wuxi No.9 People’s Hospital from January 2022 to July 2023 were selected to participate the study. The patients were 11 males and 4 females, aged 26 to 64 years with an average age of 48.3 years. A total of 14 wounds of foot, 1 of hand, 1 of forearm and 1 of ankle were reconstructed with 17 free super-thin ALTFs. The sizes of soft tissue defect were 5 cm×3 cm-23 cm×7 cm. The flaps were 6 cm×4 cm to 25 cm×8 cm in size. The donor sites were directly pulled together and sutured. Before surgery, HFCDU was applied to locate the perforator vessels across deep fascia into superficial fascia of the ALTF. IRT was further employed to locate the superficial perforator vessels on the superficial fascia in operating room. The running course of a perforating branch in the superficial fascia was determined by the running courses of the perforating branch located by the two location methods. Super-thin ALTFs were harvested and the precise locations of the perforating vessels were verified in surgery. SPSS 23.0 software was used for data analysis. Rank sum test was performed on the location data of superficial fascial perforating branches found by IRT and the data in surgery. P<0.05 was considered a statistically significant difference. All patients were included in the postoperative follow-up by means of visit of outpatient clinic and via WeChat reviews, where the survival and functional recovery of the flaps were observed. Results:A total of 30 perforating vessels had been located by HFCDU and 30 by IRT, and a total of 31 perforating vessels were found in superficial fascia in surgery. The true positive rate was 93.3%, with a false positive rate at 6.7% and a false negative rate at 9.7%. The rank sum test calculated P=0.853 for the number of perforating vessels located by the IRT and those found from surgery. There was no significant difference between the 2 detecting methods. No postoperative complication occurred in all 14 flaps. Partial necrosis occurred in 1 flap but healed after dressing changes. Venous occlusion had occurred in 1 flap, it was rectified after surgical exploration. Superficial infection happened in 1 flap and it was improved after anti-infection treatment. Postoperative follow-up was conducted for 3-12 months. The flaps were in good texture with satisfactory appearance and function of limbs. All donor sites healed well without scar hyperplasia. Conclusion:IRT combined with HFCDU is a reliable method in location of perforator vessels of ALTF, and it is an ideal technique in the exploration of perforator vessels and in the harvest of a super-thin flap.
