Lower Extremity Pediatric Tissue Expansion: A Single Surgeon's 16-Year Experience

Tissue expansion is a well-established approach to soft tissue reconstruction in the pediatric population for lower extremity pathologies. Unfortunately, complication rates range from 19% to 40% in literature, including infection and implant extrusion, leading to delays in reconstruction. These challenges have prompted investigation toward categorizing risk factors for lower extremity tissue expander placement.

A retrospective study of pediatric patients who underwent lower extremity tissue expander placement by the senior author (R.J.R.) was performed over a 16-year period. Patient charts were reviewed to categorize baseline and operative characteristics. Primary outcome variables were surgical-site infection, expander extrusion, and expander deflation. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed ( α < 0.05).

There were 59 tissue expanders in our cohort. The overall complication rate was 27.1% with a 77.2% successful reconstruction rate. Greater number of expanders placed during 1 operation is associated with 2.5 increased odds of having any complication and is associated with 0.4 decreased odds of having a successful reconstruction. Incisions made in scar tissue for expander placement appear to be associated with a greater than 7 times increased odds of readmission.

Reconstruction of soft tissue pathologies using lower extremity tissue expanders in the pediatric population is an effective yet challenging technique. This study identified that the number of expanders inserted during 1 operation, incisions made over scar tissue, and expanders placed in the anterior thigh were correlated with having a negative impact on reconstructive outcomes. Extra care should be taken with patients who require multiple expanders during 1 operation and with choosing the location and incision of expander placement.