Colour Doppler-Guided Superthin Inferior Gluteal Artery Perforator Flap Elevation for Ischial Pressure Ulcer Reconstruction
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Published on: December 5, 2025
Muhammed Said Aydin1, Gökay Özler1, Şükrü Kasap1
1Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Muǧla Sıtkı Koçman University, Muǧla, Turkey.
Abstract:
Ischial pressure ulcer reconstruction requires durable coverage while preserving local donor options for possible recurrence. The inferior gluteal artery perforator (IGAP) flap is a muscle-sparing option, but superthin elevation requires precise knowledge of the superficial fascial plane and the subcutaneous course of the selected perforator. This technical note describes colour Doppler ultrasonography-guided superficial fascial plane mapping before superthin IGAP flap elevation in a 27-year-old paraplegic patient with a chronic left ischial pressure ulcer who presented in 2025 to a tertiary care university hospital in Muǧla, Turkey. Preoperative high-frequency colour Doppler ultrasonography identified the dominant perforator, measured the relevant fascial intervals and guided a controlled dissection above the superficial fascia. The technique allowed elevation of a thin, pliable flap while preserving deeper gluteal structures and perforator integrity. Colour Doppler-guided fascial mapping may support safer superthin perforator flap elevation in selected pressure ulcer reconstructions.
