Stability of Free Flaps Using Recipient Vessels Damaged by Irradiation and Malignant Cell Infiltration.

Kim, Hyun Su; Park, Si Hyun; Kim, Seok Kwun

Original Article

Journal of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons 1999;26(2):272-280.
Published online March 1, 1999.

Stability of Free Flaps Using Recipient Vessels Damaged by Irradiation and Malignant Cell Infiltration.

Hyun Su Kim, Si Hyun Park, Seok Kwun Kim

Abstract

With the continuous development of diagnostic techniques of precancerous lesion and an improved patient-transfer system, it is unusual to examine patients who have a life-threating malignant skin lesion. However it is still a problem in some far-advanced inoperable skin tumors which have been neglected and have become aggravated, Another problem in oncologic surgery is previous irradiation around a lesion. The only effective way to treat these lesions is to excise widely and cover with an appropriate free flap. But in such conditions, selection of recipient vessel is not easy. Many surgeons have used vein graft as the conduit from a distant non-radiated vessel to the free flap. This technique requires a long segment of vein for anastomosing both the artery and vein. We used intra-lesional vessels as the recipient vessel of the free flap, which were suspiciously damaged by irradiation and malignant cell infiltration. The guidelines include: 1) malignancy-infiltrated vessels are to be dissected until a clear field is obtained under a frozen section 2) irradiated vessel can be used only if active spurting is present without intraluminal thrombosis. All of our case obtained satisfactory results in all cases except one of irradiated squamous cell carcinoma at inguinal area whose gracilis myocutaneous free flap loss was in 10%. But even this case, the cause of partial loss of the flap may not be due to a vascular problem but an internal failure of the flap. We concluded, that carefully selected intra-lesional vessels, although they may be damaged by irradiation or malignant cell infiltration can be used as the recipient vessels of free flaps.