Seetharaman Sakthipalan Selva, Yadav Prabha S, Shankhdhar Vinay K, Dushyant Jaiswal, Prashant Puranik
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Services, TATA Memorial Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, India.
Indian J Plast Surg. 2013 Jan;46(1):59-68. doi: 10.4103/0970-0358.113709.
Anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap is one of the most common flaps in the reconstruction armamentarium of plastic surgeons, but there is no published data about the flap characteristics in the Indian population. The aim of this study is to analyse the anthropomorphic characteristics of the ALT flap and the perforator details in Indian population.
ALT flap details were studied in 65 patients of Indian origin comprising 45 males and 20 females. The study period is from August 2011 to July 2012. A prospective database of the Doppler findings, perforator and pedicle details and the flap morphology were maintained. The variables are analysed by using the SPSS, PASW statistics 18 software IBM(®).
In nearly 75% of cases, the perforator was found within 4 cm of the pre-operative Doppler markings. The percentage of musculocutaneous and septocutaneous perforators was 61.8% and 38.2% respectively. The pedicle variation was found in 6 cases (9.23%). The average thickness of the thigh skin in Indians is similar to the western people, but thicker than the other Asian people. Flap thinning was performed in nine patients without any major complications.
The perforator details and type in the Indian population are similar to the published reports from other parts of the world. We advise pre-operative Doppler examination in possible cases. The variation in pedicle anatomy should not be overlooked to avoid complications. The thickness of subcutaneous tissue of the flap is higher in Indians, but still can be safely thinned. The data of this study will serve as a guide for the ALT flap characteristics in Indian patients.
股前外侧（ALT）皮瓣是整形外科医生重建手术中最常用的皮瓣之一，但关于印度人群中该皮瓣特征尚无公开数据。本研究旨在分析印度人群中ALT皮瓣的人体测量特征及穿支血管细节。
对65例印度裔患者（45例男性和20例女性）的ALT皮瓣细节进行研究。研究时间段为2011年8月至2012年7月。建立了一个关于多普勒检查结果、穿支血管和蒂部细节以及皮瓣形态的前瞻性数据库。使用IBM（®）的SPSS、PASW统计18软件对变量进行分析。
在近75%的病例中，穿支血管位于术前多普勒标记的4厘米范围内。肌皮穿支血管和隔皮穿支血管的比例分别为61.8%和38.2%。发现6例（9.23%）存在蒂部变异。印度人大腿皮肤的平均厚度与西方人相似，但比其他亚洲人厚。9例患者进行了皮瓣减薄，未出现任何严重并发症。
印度人群中的穿支血管细节和类型与世界其他地区发表的报告相似。我们建议在可能的情况下进行术前多普勒检查。不应忽视蒂部解剖结构的变异以避免并发症。印度人皮瓣皮下组织的厚度较高，但仍可安全减薄。本研究数据将为印度患者ALT皮瓣特征提供指导。
