Suprapopliteal flap.

To investigate the cutaneous artery in the popliteal region, cadaver dissections were performed on 16 lower limbs. Two types of the cutaneous vessel have been found. One is the direct cutaneous vessel from the popliteal vessels; the other is the cutaneous vessel branching from the muscular vessel to the semimembranous muscle from the popliteal vessels. In our cadaver dissections, the latter was found consistently in the 16 lower limbs. The location of the vascular pedicle is 12.5 to 24.0 cm from the tibial condyle. The newly developed suprapopliteal flap supplied by this vessel is described. We applied this flap in four clinical patients: in one as a free flap, in the others as an island flap. Three (one free, two pedicled) flaps survived completely. The upper part of a pedicled flap partially necrosed. The operative procedure and the characteristics of the suprapopliteal flap are discussed. This flap can be used as a free flap and is also a versatile way to reconstruct soft tissue defects around the knee joint.