Background/Objectives: Perineal reconstruction after abdominoperineal excision often requires complex closures and is fraught with wound healing complications. Flap-based approaches introduce non-irradiated vascularized tissue to the area of resection to fill a large soft-tissue defect and dead space, reduce the risk of infection, and facilitate wound healing. Employing perforator flaps with their beneficial donor site properties, the authors have developed a concept of bilateral superior gluteal artery perforator (SGAP) flaps to restore extensive perineal defects. Methods: This retrospective case series was conducted between September 2015 and December 2019. We included three patients who received bilateral SGAP flap reconstruction after oncological resection. One deepithelialized SGAP flap was used for obliteration of dead space, combined with the contralateral SGAP flap for superficial defect reconstruction and wound closure. Results: Within this patient population, two male and one female patient, with a median age of 62 years (range, 52-76 years), were included. Six pedicled SGAP flaps were performed with average flap dimensions of 9 × 20 cm (range 7-9 × 19 × 21). No flap loss or no local recurrence were documented. In one case, partial tip necrosis with prolonged serous drainage was observed, which was managed by surgical debridement. No further complications were detected. Conclusions: The combination of two SGAP flaps provides maximal soft tissue for defect reconstruction and obliteration of dead space, while maintaining a very inconspicuous donor site, even with bilateral harvesting. Given these advantages, the authors recommend this promising approach for successful reconstruction of perineal defects.

BACKGROUND: Vulvar stenosis is a debilitating condition that compromises sexual function, urination, and the ability to undergo gynecological examinations. The purpose of this study is to describe the technique of capillary perforator perineal flaps (CPPF) for the correction of vulvar stenosis.
METHODS: We retrospectively examined patients with vulvar stenosis treated through surgical separation and reconstruction with CPPF. The procedure involved vulvar separation with the creation of a subsequent defect, repaired using a flap, harvested laterally to the labia majora including a capillary perforator and transferred through a subcutaneous tunnel to repair the vulvar defect. The functional outcome was evaluated with the Bradford scale, comparing the preoperative and postoperative scores using the Student\'s t-test.
RESULTS: thirteen patients were included, three with stenosis following treatment for vulvar cancer and ten due to lichen sclerosus. In total, we analyzed 29 flaps, with an average size of 15.6 cm2. We always included just one perforator in the flap and no postoperative complications. Stenosis was resolved in all patients, with no recurrences one year after the surgery. The preoperative average severity of the stenosis was 2.3 + 0.6, reducing to 0.3 + 0.4 post-intervention, indicating a significant improvement (p < 0.01).
CONCLUSIONS: CPPF has proven to be a quick and safe method for the reconstruction of vulvar stenosis.

BACKGROUND: Patients with advanced vulvoperineal cancer require a multidisciplinary treatment approach to ensure oncological safety, timely recovery, and the highest possible quality of life (QoL). Reconstructions in this region often lead to complications, affecting approximately 30% of patients. Flap design has evolved towards perforator-based approaches to reduce functional deficits and (donor site) complications, since they allow for the preservation of relevant anatomical structures. Next to their greater surgical challenge in elevation, their superiority over non-perforator-based approaches is still debated.
METHODS: To compare outcomes between perforator and non-perforator flaps in female vulvoperineal reconstruction, we conducted a systematic review of English-language studies published after 1980, including randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, and case series. Data on demographics and surgical outcomes were extracted and classified using the Clavien-Dindo classification. We used a random-effects meta-analysis to derive a pooled estimate of complication frequency (%) in patients who received at least one perforator flap and in patients who received non-perforator flaps.
RESULTS: Among 2576 screened studies, 49 met our inclusion criteria, encompassing 1840 patients. The overall short-term surgical complication rate was comparable in patients receiving a perforator (n = 276) or a non-perforator flap (n = 1564) reconstruction (p* > 0.05). There was a tendency towards fewer complications when using perforator flaps. The assessment of patients\' QoL was scarce.
CONCLUSIONS: Vulvoperineal reconstruction using perforator flaps shows promising results compared with non-perforator flaps. There is a need for the assessment of its long-term outcomes and for a systematic evaluation of patient QoL to further demonstrate its benefit for affected patients.

BACKGROUND: The descending genicular artery (DGA) and medial thigh region have been underused as donor sites for perforator flaps. This study evaluated the anatomical relationship between the perforators of the DGA and the saphenous vein (SV) to review the clinical applications of the free descending genicular artery perforator (DGAP) flap for locoregional reconstruction.
METHODS: Fifteen cadavers were arterially perfused with red latex and dissected. Thirty-one patients with extremity tissue defects were treated with a free DGAP flap, including six patients who received a chimeric flap. The minimum distance between the DGAP and the SV was measured during surgery.
RESULTS: In all patients, the skin branch of the descending genicular artery was found in the medial femoral condyle plane in front of the SV. The average distance between the descending genicular artery perforator and the SV was 3.71 ± 0.38 cm (range: 2.9-4.3 cm). Thirty flaps survived completely, and one flap developed partial necrosis; however, this flap healed two weeks after skin grafting. The average follow-up time was 11.23 months.
CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the SV can be preserved when harvesting the descending genicular artery perforator flap, causing less damage to the donor site and having no effect on flap survival. The free descending genicular artery perforator flap without the SV is a better therapy for complicated tissue defects.

UNASSIGNED: The limb-preserving excision is the standard of care in upper limb sarcoma management, but the resulting complex composite defects are exacting the expertise of the reconstructive surgeons. This study was done to evaluate a novel single-stage reconstruction of these defects using an innate chimeric-free fibula flap (a nonfabricated, anatomically available multiple tissue components harvested on independent perforators arising from the same peroneal source vessel).
UNASSIGNED: Twenty patients (16 male/4 female) with an average age of 29.5 years with upper extremity sarcoma (Enneking IIA/IIB) were treated by wide local excision and innate chimeric-free fibula flap reconstruction from March 2012 to March 2020. All the patients were followed for an average period of 18.3 months. At the end of the follow-up, the outcome was assessed by musculoskeletal tumor score (MSTS).
UNASSIGNED: The flow-through flap was done in five patients. Muscle-tendon unit defects were reconstructed with a vascularized peroneus longus muscle-tendon unit in 15 patients. Nerve gap reconstruction using vascularized superficial peroneal nerve was done in eight patients. All patients had a segmental defect in the appendicular skeleton that was reconstructed with the vascularized fibular strut component. Soleus chimeric muscle component was used as a void filler and for covering the hardware in seven patients. The average size of the chimeric cutaneous component paddle was 30.7 cm2. The average length of fibula used for reconstruction was 16.6 cm. All flaps survived well, facilitating good hand function at the end of the follow-up. The average outcome score as per the MSTS was 22 (p = 0.035).
UNASSIGNED: The innate chimeric-free fibula flap provides all tissue components facilitating a good functional outcome. The advantage is the restoration of a functional hand in a single-stage reconstruction.

Background  The deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) and latissimus dorsi (LD) flaps are two widely used autologous breast reconstructions. Despite studies on flap-volume changes, the time of the first measurement is not immediately after surgery. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the change in volume over time from the immediate postoperative period using a three-dimensional (3D) scanner. Methods  Patients who underwent breast reconstruction with a DIEP or LD flap between October 2019 and December 2020 at Showa University Koto Toyosu Hospital were included. The Kinect 3D scanner was used to measure the reconstructed and healthy breast volumes immediately after surgery and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. The control group was the healthy side, and the volumes obtained at each time point and ratios (to the immediate postoperative period) were calculated and analyzed using a linear mixed model. Results  Of the 25 patients and 26 breasts examined, the postoperative increase in volume ratios was statistically significant in the DIEP flap group, except for the sixth month, but decreased significantly in the LD group. Compared with the control group, the volume ratio was significantly higher up to 3 months in the DIEP flap group and decreased significantly after 3 months in the LD flap group. Conclusions  The volume of the LD flap continued to decrease immediately after surgery, whereas the volume of the DIEP flap increased by 10% up to 1M. Therefore, this increase in volume should be taken into consideration in studies where the initial measurements were not taken immediately after surgery.

UNASSIGNED: To investigate the accuracy of positioning perforator of medial sural artery with three-dimensional ultrasound technique guided by a wide band linear matrix array volume transducer probe before operation, and the effectiveness of the flap design based on this in repairing the dorsal foot wounds.
UNASSIGNED: Between January 2019 and December 2022, 30 patients with skin and soft tissue defects of the dorsal foot were treated. There were 19 males and 11 females, with an average age of 43.9 years (range, 22-63 years). There were 12 cases of traffic accident injury, 15 cases of heavy crushing injury, and 3 cases of machine injury. The time from injury to hospitalization was 1-8 hours (mean, 3.5 hours). The wounds in size of 5 cm×3 cm to 17 cm×5 cm were thorough debrided and covered with vacuum sealing drainage dressing. Then the wounds were repaired with the medial sural artery perforator flaps after no obvious infection observed. To obtain the complete three-dimensional image, the number and position of the medial sural artery perforator branches and the position of the main blood vessels in the muscle were detected and recorded by wide band linear matrix array volume transducer probe before operation. Suitable perforating branches were selected to design the flap and guide the flap incision on this basis. The size of the perforating flap ranged from 6 cm×4 cm to 18 cm×6 cm. The sensitivity and positive predictive value were calculated by comparing preoperative exploration with intraoperative observation of perforating branches, so as to evaluate the positioning accuracy of three-dimensional ultrasound technique. The donor sites were sutured directly in 25 cases and repaired with free skin grafting in 5 cases.
UNASSIGNED: The 60 perforating branches of medial sural artery were found before operation and 58 during operation in 30 patients. Among them, pre- and intra-operative perforations were consistent with 56. The sensitivity was 93.3% and positive predictive value was 96.6%. The intramuscular position and route of the main blood vessels were basically consistent with the pre- and intra-operative observation. All flaps survived and wounds healed by first intention. All incisions at the donor sites healed by first intention, and all skin grafts survived. All patients were follow up 9-24 months (mean, 14.7 months). The appearance, color, and texture of the flaps were good, and no obvious effect on wearing shoes and walking. At last follow-up, the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hind score ranged from 80 to 92, with an average of 87.5. The patient satisfaction was excellent in 29 cases and good in 1 case.
UNASSIGNED: The three-dimensional ultrasound technique guided by the wide band linear matrix array volume transducer probe can accurately locate the perforating branch of the medial sural artery, and the three-dimensional imaging is more intuitive, which can be used to guide the design and incision of the medial sural artery perforator flap.
UNASSIGNED: 探讨对腓肠内侧动脉穿支皮瓣采用宽频线阵容积探头引导下三维超声技术定位穿支的准确性，以及基于此设计皮瓣修复足背创面的疗效。.
UNASSIGNED: 2019年1月—2022年12月，收治30例足背皮肤软组织缺损患者。男19例，女11例；年龄22～63岁，平均43.9岁。致伤原因：交通事故伤12例，重物压砸伤15例，机器伤3例。受伤至入院时间1～8 h，平均3.5 h。彻底清创后创面范围为5 cm×3 cm～17 cm×5 cm，予以封闭式负压引流敷料覆盖，待创面无明显感染后行腓肠内侧动脉穿支皮瓣修复。术前采用宽频线阵容积探头对腓肠内侧动脉穿支及主干血管进行探测，获得完整三维图像，记录穿支数量、位置以及主干血管在肌肉内位置、走行方式，并在此基础上选择合适穿支设计皮瓣及指导皮瓣切取；术中皮瓣切取范围6 cm×4 cm～18 cm×6 cm。将术前探测与术中观察的穿支进行对比，计算敏感度及阳性预测值，评估三维超声技术定位穿支的准确性。供区直接拉拢缝合25例，游离植皮修复5例。.
UNASSIGNED: 30例患者术前探测发现60支腓肠内侧动脉穿支、术中发现58支，其中术前与术中相符穿支56支，敏感度93.3%、阳性预测值96.6%；术前探测及术中观察主干血管在肌肉内位置、走行方式基本相符。术后皮瓣均顺利成活，创面Ⅰ期愈合；供区切口均Ⅰ期愈合，植皮成活。患者均获随访，随访时间9～24个月，平均14.7个月。皮瓣外观、色泽、质地良好，穿鞋及行走无明显影响；末次随访时美国矫形足踝协会（AOFAS）踝与后足功能评分为80～92分，平均87.5分；患者满意度达优29例、良1例。.
UNASSIGNED: 宽频线阵容积探头引导下三维超声技术定位腓肠内侧动脉穿支准确，三维成像更直观，可用于指导腓肠内侧动脉穿支皮瓣设计及切取。.

UNASSIGNED: To explore the feasibility and effectiveness of mixed reality technology for localizing perforator vessels in the repair of mandibular defects using free fibular flap.
UNASSIGNED: Between June 2020 and June 2023, 12 patients with mandibular defects were repaired with free fibular flap. There were 8 males and 4 females, with an average age of 61 years (range, 35-78 years). There were 9 cases of ameloblastomas and 3 cases of squamous cell carcinomas involving the mandible. The disease duration ranged from 15 days to 2 years (median, 14.2 months). The length of mandibular defects ranged from 5 to 14 cm (mean, 8.5 cm). The area of soft tissue defects ranged from 5 cm×4 cm to 8 cm×6 cm. Preoperative enhanced CT scans of the maxillofacial region and CT angiography of the lower limbs were performed, and the data was used to create three-dimensional models of the mandible and lower limb perforator vessels. During operation, the mixed reality technology was used to overlay the three-dimensional model of perforator vessels onto the body surface for harvesting the free fibular flap. The length of the fibula harvested ranged from 6 to 15 cm, with a mean of 9.5 cm; the size of the flap ranged from 6 cm×5 cm to 10 cm×8 cm. The donor sites were sutured directly in 7 cases and repaired with free skin grafting in 5 cases.
UNASSIGNED: Thirty perforator vessels were located by mixed reality technology before operation, with an average of 2.5 vessels per case; the distance between the exit point of the perforator vessels located before operation and the actual exit point ranged from 1 to 4 mm, with a mean of 2.8 mm. All fibular flaps survived; 1 case had necrosis at the distal end of flap, which healed after dressing changes. One donor site had infection, which healed after anti-inflammatory dressing changes; the remaining incisions healed by first intention, and the grafts survived smoothly. All patients were followed up 8-36 months (median, 21 months). The repaired facial appearance was satisfactory, with no flap swelling. Among the patients underwent postoperative radiotherapy, 2 patients had normal bone healing and 1 had delayed healing at 6 months.
UNASSIGNED: In free fibular flap reconstruction of mandibular defects, the use of mixed reality technology for perforator vessel localization can achieve three-dimensional visualization, simplify surgical procedures, and reduce errors.
UNASSIGNED: 探讨在游离腓骨皮瓣修复下颌骨缺损中，使用混合现实技术定位穿支血管的可行性和效果。.
UNASSIGNED: 2020年6月—2023年6月，采用游离腓骨皮瓣修复12例下颌骨缺损患者。男8例，女4例；年龄35～78岁，平均61岁。下颌骨成釉细胞瘤9例，侵犯下颌骨口腔鳞癌3例。病程15 d～2年，中位病程14.2个月。下颌骨缺损长度5～14 cm，平均8.5 cm；软组织缺损范围为5 cm×4 cm～8 cm×6 cm。术前均行颌面部增强CT和下肢CT血管造影检查，将所得数据制成下颌骨、下肢穿支血管三维模型。术中使用混合现实技术将穿支血管三维模型重叠于患者体表，制取游离腓骨皮瓣修复缺损。腓骨切取长度为6～15 cm，平均9.5 cm；皮瓣切取范围6 cm×5 cm～10 cm×8 cm，供区拉拢缝合（7例）或游离植皮修复（5例）。.
UNASSIGNED: 12例患者术前使用混合现实技术定位穿支血管30支，每例平均2.5支；术中测量术前定位穿支血管穿出点与实际穿出点距离为1～4 mm，平均2.8 mm。术后12例腓骨瓣顺利成活；1例皮瓣远端边缘坏死，换药后延期愈合。供区发生感染1例，经抗炎换药治疗后愈合；其余患者切口Ⅰ期愈合，植皮顺利成活。患者均获随访，随访时间8～36个月，中位时间21个月。修复面部外形好，皮瓣无臃肿。3例术后接受放化疗患者中，随访6个月时2例正常骨愈合、1例延迟愈合。.
UNASSIGNED: 在游离腓骨皮瓣修复下颌骨缺损手术中使用混合现实技术，可以实现穿支血管三维可视化，手术操作简便，误差较小。.

BACKGROUND: Large skin lesions of the upper extremity tend to be \'\'long and narrow\'\' in shape, and the currently used repair and reconstruction protocols still have some drawbacks, including difficulty in closure of the donor area, poor cosmetic appearance of the donor and recipient areas, and low flap survival rates. The ilioinguinal flap has been more widely used for repair and reconstruction of various complex conditions. In order to improve the versatility of the flap design and to achieve better aesthetic results, we report a study on the improved design of Compound SCIP flap for repairing \"long and narrow\" large skin defects of the upper extremity by using a modified design of the ilioinguinal flap for the procurement of perforating blood vessels and flap excision.
METHODS: From April 2005 to August 2015, a total of 12 patients underwent this modified design procedure, in which the anterior branch of the fourth lumbar artery or the posterior intercostal artery was selected to provide blood supply for the perforator flap together with the superficial branch of the superficial iliac artery to meet the blood supply needs of the flap for the one-time repair of a large \"long and narrow\" skin defect in the upper limb. Patient demographics, flap characteristics, and associated complications were retrospectively analyzed.
RESULTS: 3 females and 9 males were included in this study, the mean age of the patients was 31.7 years (range, 22-44 years), the mean follow-up period was 15.3 ± 5.6 months (range, 7-24 months), and all patients had complete closure of the defect site and donor area, and all flaps survived.
CONCLUSIONS: The Compound SCIP flap presents some advantages in repairing \'long and narrow\' skin defects in the upper limb. While ensuring the survival rate of the elongated ilioinguinal flap, it amplifies the benefits of the ilioinguinal flap and enhances skin utilization. This can serve as a beneficial choice for repairing \'long and narrow\' skin defects in the upper limb.

Breast reconstruction is an integral part of breast cancer management. Conventional techniques of flap harvesting for autologous breast reconstruction are associated with considerable complications. Robotic surgery has enabled a new spectrum of minimally invasive breast surgeries. The current systematic review and meta-analysis study was designed to retrieve the surgical and clinical outcomes of robotic versus conventional techniques for autologous breast reconstruction. An extensive systematic literature review was performed from inception to 25 April 2023. All clinical studies comparing the outcomes of robotic and conventional autologous breast reconstruction were included for meta-analysis. The present meta-analysis included seven articles consisting of 783 patients. Of them, 263 patients received robotic breast reconstruction, while 520 patients received conventional technique. Of note, 477 patients received latissimus dorsi flap (LDF) and 306 were subjected to deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEP) flap. There was a significantly prolonged duration of surgery (MD 58.36;95% CI 32.05,84.67;P < 0.001) and duration of anaesthesia (MD 47;95% CI 16.23,77.77;P = 0.003) among patients who underwent robotic surgery. There was a similar risk of complications between robotic and conventional surgeries. The mean level of pain intensity was significantly lower among patients who received robotic breast surgery (MD- 0.28;95% CI - 0.73,0.17; P = 0.22). There was prolonged length of hospitalization among patients with conventional DIEP flap surgery (MD- 0.59;95% CI - 1.13,- 0.05;P = 0.03). The present meta-analysis highlighted the feasibility, safety, and effectiveness of robotic autologous breast reconstruction. This included the successful harvesting of LDF and DIEP flap with acceptable surgical and functional outcomes.