Modified anterior compartment resection of the thigh

For large soft tissue sarcomas of the anterior thigh, an anterior compartment resection is often performed. This may leave the patient with the inability to extend the knee. In our practice, we find that it is usually possible to preserve one of the heads of the quadriceps, usually the vastus medialis, with intact innervation, and thus preserve significant extension function of the knee joint, while the requirements for a radical oncologic procedure are being met. The modified anterior compartment resection preserves one or more heads of the quadriceps and requires a thorough knowledge of the course and distribution of the branches of the femoral nerve from the level of the inguinal ligament to their termination at the individual heads of the quadriceps femoris.