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The preexpanded anterolateral thigh free flap.

Geoffrey G Hallock¹

¹Division of Plastic Surgery, The Lehigh Valley Hospital, Allentown, PA, USA. pbhallock@cs.com

Annals of Plastic Surgery

|July 23, 2004

Summary

Pre-expanding the lateral thigh allows for primary closure of anterolateral thigh flap donor sites, avoiding skin grafts. This technique minimizes donor site deformity for improved patient outcomes.

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Area of Science:

Plastic Surgery
Reconstructive Surgery

Background:

The anterolateral thigh flap is a versatile soft-tissue flap in reconstructive surgery.
Donor site morbidity, particularly conspicuous deformity after skin grafting, is a significant drawback.

Observation:

Pre-expansion of the lateral thigh tissue was explored as a method to improve donor site closure.
This technique aims to allow for primary closure of the donor site.

Findings:

Successful pre-expansion enabled primary donor site closure for wide anterolateral thigh flaps in two patients.
This approach successfully avoided the need for skin grafting at the donor site.

Implications:

Pre-expansion offers a viable strategy to minimize donor site morbidity associated with anterolateral thigh flaps.
This technique enhances the utility of the anterolateral thigh flap by addressing a key limitation.

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