Limb sparing operations for sarcomas of the extremities involving critical arterial circulation

Seven patients underwent resection of a sarcoma of the extremity requiring excision of a vital artery and revascularization. These included osteosarcoma of the pubis, osteosarcoma of the distal femur, undifferentiated sarcoma of the thigh, liposarcoma of the thigh, liposarcoma of the popliteal space, chondrosarcoma of the proximal tibia and rhabdomyosarcoma of the thumb. Preoperative evaluation included computed tomographic scan, magnetic resonance imaging and angiography. Operation involved excision of the iliac artery in one instance, femoral artery in three, popliteal artery in two instances and radial artery in one. Wide local resection including revascularization was undertaken when the tumor could be resected with the artery but separated from the nerve and it was a low grade malignant disease or the patient refused amputation for a high grade malignant disease. In five patients, the tumor margins were adequate. One patient with an osteosarcoma of the pubis with distant disease had a palliative resection and one patient had positive margins but refused amputation. Coverage of the soft tissue and vascular grafts was achieved using a distant pedicle flap in two patients. Amputation was avoided and each patient remained ambulatory. Five patients remained free of disease with patent grafts at six months to six years of follow-up study. One patient died of late myocardial infarction and one who underwent palliative resection died eight months later of metastatic disease. Involvement of the major arterial circulation does not preclude adequate resection of sarcomas of the extremity with limb salvage.