[Effects of bilobated superficial peroneal artery perforator flap in repairing two adjacent wounds of the fingers].

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the therapeutic efficacy of bilobated superficial peroneal artery perforator flap in repairing two adjacent wounds of the fingers. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted. From January 2021 to January 2022, 15 patients with two adjacent wounds of the fingers who met the inclusion criteria were hospitalized in Suzhou Ruihua Orthopaedic Hospital, including 10 males and 5 females, aged 25 to 51 years. The area of single wound after debridement was from 2.5 cm×2.0 cm to 7.5 cm×2.5 cm. All the wounds were repaired by the bilobated superficial peroneal artery perforator flap from the lower leg. The single lobe area of bilobated flap was from 3.0 cm×2.0 cm to 8.0 cm×3.0 cm. The wounds in all the donor sites were sutured directly. During the operation, the number of resected flaps, the number and type of carried perforators were recorded, and the calibers of perforator and superficial peroneal artery and the length of vascular pedicle were measured. The survival of flap and the wound healing in the donor and recipient sites were recorded after operation. The recovery of donor and recipient sites were recorded during follow-up. At the last follow-up, the repair effect of flap was evaluated by the comprehensive evaluation scale, and the sensory function of flap was evaluated by the sensory function evaluation standard of British Medical Research Association. Results: During the operation, 15 bilobated flaps were successfully resected, carrying 36 superficial peroneal artery perforators, all of which were septocutaneous perforators with the caliber of 0.2-0.8 mm. The caliber of superficial peroneal artery was 0.4-1.1 mm and the length of vascular pedicle was 3-8 cm. After operation, all the flaps survived with no vascular crisis occurred, and the wounds in donor and recipient sites healed well. During the follow-up of 6 to 12 months, the color and texture of flaps were similar to those of normal tissue in the hand and the appearance of flap was good in 10 cases; the other 5 cases underwent the stage Ⅱ flap thinning and plastic surgery 6 months after operation due to the bloated appearance of flaps. There was only linear scar in the donor site of lower leg, with no obvious scar hyperplasia or pigmentation, and there was no obvious adverse effect on the sensation or motor function of the distal limbs in the donor area. At the last follow-up, the repair effect of flap of 15 patients was excellent in 11 cases and good in 4 cases, and the sensory function of the flap was evaluated as grade S₂ in all cases. Conclusions: The bilobated superficial peroneal artery perforator flap has high proportion of septocutaneous perforator, and the blood supply is sufficient and reliable. Using this flap to repair two adjacent wounds of the fingers causes minimal damage to the donor area, only one group of blood vessels is needed to be anastomosed to repair two wounds, the difficulty of microoperation is reduced, and good flap repair effect and sensory function can be obtained.