Open Access
CC BY-NC 4.0 · Arch Plast Surg 2012; 39(01): 55-58
DOI: 10.5999/aps.2012.39.1.55
Case Report

Scalp Free Flap Reconstruction Using Anterolateral Thigh Flap Pedicle for Interposition Artery and Vein Grafts

Authors

  • Jun Hyung Park

    Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Eulji General Hospital, Eulji University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
  • Kyung Hee Min

    Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Eulji General Hospital, Eulji University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
  • Suk Chan Eun

    Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
  • Jong Hoon Lee

    Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Eulji General Hospital, Eulji University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
  • Sung Hee Hong

    Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Eulji General Hospital, Eulji University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
  • Chin Whan Kim

    Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Eulji General Hospital, Eulji University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea

We experienced satisfactory outcomes by synchronously transplanting an artery and vein using an anterolateral thigh flap pedicle between the vascular pedicle and recipient vessel of a flap for scalp reconstruction. A 45-year-old man developed a subdural hemorrhage due to a fall injury. In this patient, the right temporal cranium was missing and the patient had 4×3 cm and 6×5 cm scalp defects. We planned a scalp reconstruction using a latissimus dorsi free flap. Intraoperatively, there was a severe injury to the right superficial temporal vessel because of previous neurosurgical operations. A 15 cm long pedicle defect was needed to reach the recipient facial vessels. For the vascular graft, the descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery and two venae comitantes were harvested.

The flap survived well and the skin graft was successful with no notable complications. When an interposition graft is needed in the reconstruction of the head and neck region for which mobility is mandatory to a greater extent, a sufficient length of graft from an anterolateral flap pedicle could easily be harvested. Thus, this could contribute to not only resolving the disadvantages of a venous graft but also to successfully performing a vascular anastomosis.

This article was presented as a poster at the 68th Congress of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons on November 4-7, 2010 in Seoul, Korea.




Publication History

Received: 13 May 2011

Accepted: 27 June 2011

Article published online:
01 May 2022

© 2012. The Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, permitting unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)

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