Distally based radial artery perforator flap (DBRAPF) is useful for hand defects; however, the location of the perforator varies among individuals. Preoperative evaluation has been a problematic issue when performing this flap. A 64-year-old man developed squamous cell carcinoma on an old burn scar at the dorsal thumb and was referred to our clinic for further treatment. After wide resection of...

Preoperative imaging is essential for abdominal perforator flap breast reconstruction because it allows for preoperative perforator selection, resulting in improved operative efficiency and flap design. The benefits of visualizing the vasculature preoperatively also extend to gluteal artery perforator flaps. Initially, our practice used computed tomography angiography (CTA) to image the gluteal...

OBJECTIVE Posttumor excision defects can be very large, and many do require postoperative radiotherapy. It is therefore important to provide stable and durable wound coverage to provide ability to withstand radiotherapy as well as providing cover to vital structures. METHODS Between July 2014 and June 2016, eight females and six male patients with defects around the knee were operated upon us...

BACKGROUND Coverage of defects of the pretibial area remains a challenge for surgeons. The difficulty comes from the limited mobility and availability of the overlying skin and soft tissue. We applied variable pedicled perforator flaps to overcome the disadvantages of local flaps and free flaps on the pretibial area. METHODS Eight patients who had the defects in the anterior tibial area were ...

PURPOSE To evaluate the accuracy of magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) for preoperative mapping of rectus and gluteal muscle perforating arteries prior to autologous flap breast reconstruction. MATERIALS AND METHODS Preoperative MRA on 25 consecutive patients undergoing perforator artery-based autologous breast reconstruction was performed at 1.5 T using 3D liver accelerate volume acquisiti...

Soft tissue coverage of distal medial ankle wounds is a challenging problem in orthopedic surgery because of the limited local tissues and prominent instrumentation. Traditionally, these wounds required free tissue transfer to achieve suitable coverage and subsequent bony union. To better respect the reconstructive ladder and to avoid the inherent difficulty of free flap coverage, rotational fl...

BACKGROUND The goal of this study was to investigate the anatomy of the peroneal artery and its perforators, and to report the clinical results of reconstruction with peroneal artery perforator flaps. METHODS The authors dissected 4 cadaver legs and investigated the distribution, course, origin, number, type, and length of the perforators. Peroneal artery perforator flap surgery was performed...

Sanguis draconis, a resin known to improve blood circulation, relieve pain, stimulate tissue regeneration, and heal wounds, is widely used in clinical practice. In this study, we prepared an ethanol extract of sanguis draconis (EESD) containing 75.08 mg/g of dracorhodin. The experiment was carried out on 20 rats that were divided into two groups, a control group (n = 10) and an EESD group (n = ...

BACKGROUND Consistent septocutaneous perforators exist between the gluteus maximus and medius muscles. The existence of these septocutaneous perforators obviates the need for any intramuscular dissection when elevating a gluteal artery perforator flap. In this study, the authors present their experience with the septocutaneous gluteal artery perforator (sc-GAP) flap for microsurgical breast rec...

1 Yohei Sotsuka, MD, PhD* Ken Matsuda MD, PhD† Kazutoshi Fujita, MD* Toshihiro Fujiwara, MD, PhD* Masao Kakibuchi, MD, PhD* Sir: R personal three-dimensional (3D) printers have become available. These printers are easy to handle and affordable to buy. Threedimensional mandibular models and auricular chondral framework 3D models built with a personal 3D printer by using free software have been r...