| Background:Defects following soft tissue sarcoma resection are usually managed by myocutaneous flaps or free flaps. However, harvesting muscle will cause functional morbidities and some regions lack reliable recipient vessel.Our purpose is to use various perforator propeller flaps for oncologic reconstruction.Methods:Between 2008 and 2014,31 perforator propeller flaps were performed in 24 patients to reconstruct the defects following tumor resection in trunkand extremities.15 patients underwent tumor resection previously.11 patients underwent adjuvantradiotherapy or chemotherapy. Flaps based on perforators adjacent to the lesions were raised and rotated in propeller fashion to repair the defects.Results:25 flaps were based on perforators of known source vessels and 6 were harvested in freestyle fashion. The defects wererepaired with two flaps in 4 patients and three flaps in 2 patients.The mean skin paddle dimension was8.26 cm in width and 20.35 cm in length. The mean degree of flap rotation was 155.88°.Complications include partial necrosis of 6 flaps in 5 cases and venous congestion of one flap. In these 6 patients,3 underwent adjuvant radiotherapy. The donor sites were primarily closed in 19 patients and skin grafted in 3 patients. No functional loss related to flap harvesting was recognized.Conclusions:Perforator propeller flaps provide versatile options foroncologic reconstruction in trunk and extremities without sacrifice of the underlying muscle and concerns of the unavailability of recipient vessels.However, the impact of radiotherapy on the viability of the flaps for local reconstruction needs further investigation. |
