Assessment of lower limb proprioception after fibula free flap harvest: A pilot study

After undergoing fibula-free flap harvest, patients may experience complications such as ankle instability. It remains unclear whether these patients have deficits of proprioception, and the recovery process is also uncertain.

This study aimed to objectively evaluate proprioception on the donor and normal side of surgical patients during long-term follow-up using the Pro-kin system.

This study enrolled 36 patients who underwent reconstruction of the head and neck using osseous free flaps harvested from the fibula. Each patient underwent pre-operative evaluations and was subsequently evaluated at postoperative months 1, 3, 6, and 12. The study assessed the proprioceptive evaluation of the lower limbs, muscle function, range of motion of the ankle, and donor side complications.

On the donor side, the average trace error (ATE) at postoperative month 1 was significantly higher than pre-operation, postoperative months 6 and 12 (P< 0.05). The test execution time (TTE) at postoperative month 1 was significantly increased by 9.875s compared to the pre-operative levels (P= 0.012, 95% confidence interval [CI] 4: 1.877-17.873) and by 11.583s compared to postoperative month 12 (P= 0.007, 95% CI: 2.858-20.309). The reduction in range of motion of ankle dorsiflexion was most pronounced at postoperative month 1, exhibiting an 11.25∘ decrease compared to pre-operative levels (P< 0.001, 95% CI: 6.304-16.16). Although the range of motion of ankle dorsiflexion gradually improved over time at postoperative months 3, 6, and 12, it remained lower than pre-operative levels (P< 0.05).

The study revealed that the patients exhibited proprioceptive disturbances in both lower limbs at postoperative month 1. The proprioceptive function gradually improved over time, with a gradual decrease in donor site complications.