A Systematic Review of Microsurgical Pedicle Lengthening in Free Tissue Transfer

Traumatic injuries that require free tissue flaps for reconstruction may require vascular pedicle extension between the flap and recipient vessels to form a clear anastomosis. Currently, a variety of techniques are used, each with their own potential benefits and harms. In addition, reports in the literature conflict on the reliability of pedicle extensions of vessels in free flap (FF) surgery. The objective of this study is to systematically assess the available literature about outcomes of pedicle extensions in FF reconstruction.

A comprehensive search was performed for relevant studies published up to January 2020. Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias assessment tool and a set of predetermined parameters was extracted by 2 investigators independently for further analysis. The literature review yielded 49 studies investigating pedicled extension of FF. Studies meeting inclusion criteria underwent data extraction focusing on demographics, conduit type, microsurgical technique, and postoperative outcomes.

The search yielded 22 retrospective studies totaling 855 procedures from 2007 to 2018 in which 159 complications (17.1%) were reported in patients aged between 39 and 78 years. Overall heterogeneity of articles included in this study was high. Free flap failure and thrombosis were the 2 most prevalent major complications noted: vein graft extension technique had the highest rate of flap failure (11%) in comparison with the arterial graft (9%) and arteriovenous loops (8%). Arteriovenous loops had a rate of thrombosis of 5% versus 6% in arterial grafts and 8% in venous grafts. Bone flaps maintained the highest overall complication rates per tissue type at 21%. The overall success rate of pedicle extensions in FFs was 91%. Arteriovenous loop extension resulted in a 63% decrease in the odds of vascular thrombosis and a 27% decrease in the odds of FF failure when compared with venous graft extensions (P < 0.05). Arterial graft extension resulted in a 25% decrease in the odds of venous thrombosis and a 19% decrease in the odds of FF failure when compared with venous graft extensions (P < 0.05).

This systematic review strongly suggests that pedicle extensions of the FF in a high-risk complex setting are a practical and effective option. There may be a benefit to using arterial versus venous conduits, although further examination is warranted given the small number of reconstructions reported in the literature.