The Free Fibula Flap for Lower Extremity Reconstruction

Orthoplastic limb reconstruction using free fibula flap after trauma: Outcomes from a retrospective European multicenter study

BACKGROUND

Free vascularized fibula flap represents the gold standard vascularized bone graft for the management of segmental long bone defects after traumatic injury. The current study represents the largest retrospective multicenter data collection on the use of free fibula flap (FFF) for extremities' orthoplastic reconstruction after trauma aiming to highlight current surgical practice and to set the basis for updating current surgical indications.

METHODS

The study is designed as a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data between 2009 and 2021 from six European University hospitals. Patients who underwent fibula flap reconstruction after acute traumatic injury (AF) or as a late reconstruction (LF) after post-traumatic non-union of upper or lower limb were included. Only extra-articular, diaphyseal fracture were included in the study. Surgical data were collected. Time to bone healing and complications were reported as clinical outcomes.

RESULTS

Sixty-two patients were included in the study (27 in the AF group and 35 in the LF group). The average patients' age at the time of the traumatic event was 45.3 ± 2.9 years in the AF group and 41.1 ± 2.1 years in the LF group. Mean bone defect size was 7.7 ± 0.6 cm for upper limb and 11.2 ± 1.1 cm (p = .32) for lower limb. Bone healing was uneventful in 69% of treated patients, reaching 92% after complementary procedures. Bone healing time was 7.6 ± 1.2 months in the acute group and 9.6 ± 1.5 months in the late group. An overall complication rate of 30.6% was observed, with a higher percentage of late bone complications in the LF group (34%), mostly non-union cases.

CONCLUSIONS

FFF reconstruction represents a reliable and definitive solution for long bone defects with bone healing reached in 92% cases with a 8.4 months of average bone healing time.

Huntington procedure for the treatment of tibial nonunion in a 17-years old male: A case report

INTRODUCTION

Bone is considered a tissue with good healing properties, and many bone defects can heal spontaneously under appropriate conditions. Extreme bone loss can hinder remodeling and regenerative processes, leading to bone nonunion. This condition negatively impacts the patient's quality of life with a severe socioeconomic burden. Many treatment options have been proposed, but none can be defined as a gold standard, mainly due to the variety of clinical presentation, bone loss, and quality.

PRESENTATION OF CASE

We present a 15-year-old case of tibial nonunion following multiple traumas. The patient was treated non-surgically at the beginning, but the external fixator positioning was required due to a delay in the healing process. Following further trauma, the patient showed progressive anterolateral angulation, severe lateral procurvation, and a progressive worsening of the pseudoarthrosis. The severe bone loss and poor quality of the bone surrounding the defect required a special technique called Huntington procedure that consists in a vascularized bone autograft from the ipsilateral fibula to achieve mechanical and biological healing of the pseudoarthrosis. The patient recovered well and returned to full weight bearing without a mobility aid.

DISCUSSION

We report this case of complex tibial nonunion and malalignment, developed after subsequent traumas. Due to the multiple complications, and the poor biology a Huntington procedure was required to provide mechanical stability and a biological boost to the bone defect.

CONCLUSION

This case report shows a complicated case requiring several surgeries and treatment options and confirms the potential benefit of the Huntington procedure for treating a tibial severe bone loss.

Decellularized vascularized bone grafts: A preliminary in vitro porcine model for bioengineered transplantable bone shafts

Introduction: Durable reconstruction of critical size bone defects is still a surgical challenge despite the availability of numerous autologous and substitute bone options. In this paper, we have investigated the possibility of creating a living bone allograft, using the perfusion/decellularization/recellularization (PDR) technique, which was applied to an original model of vascularized porcine bone graft. Materials and Methods: 11 porcine bone forelimbs, including radius and ulna, were harvested along with their vasculature including the interosseous artery and then decellularized using a sequential detergent perfusion protocol. Cellular clearance, vasculature, extracellular matrix (ECM), and preservation of biomechanical properties were evaluated. The cytocompatibility and in vitro osteoinductive potential of acellular extracellular matrix were studied by static seeding of NIH-3T3 cells and porcine adipose mesenchymal stem cells (pAMSC), respectively. Results: The vascularized bone grafts were successfully decellularized, with an excellent preservation of the 3D morphology and ECM microarchitecture. Measurements of DNA and ECM components revealed complete cellular clearance and preservation of ECM's major proteins. Bone mineral density (BMD) acquisitions revealed a slight, yet non-significant, decrease after decellularization, while biomechanical testing was unmodified. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) acquisitions after vascular injection of barium sulphate confirmed the preservation of the vascular network throughout the whole graft. The non-toxicity of the scaffold was proven by the very low amount of residual sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in the ECM and confirmed by the high live/dead ratio of fibroblasts seeded on periosteum and bone ECM-grafts after 3, 7, and 16 days of culture. Moreover, cell proliferation tests showed a significant multiplication of seeded cell populations at the same endpoints. Lastly, the differentiation study using pAMSC confirmed the ECM graft's potential to promote osteogenic differentiation. An osteoid-like deposition occurred when pAMSC were cultured on bone ECM in both proliferative and osteogenic differentiation media. Conclusion: Fully decellularized bone grafts can be obtained by perfusion decellularization, thereby preserving ECM architecture and their vascular network, while promoting cell growth and differentiation. These vascularized decellularized bone shaft allografts thus present a true potential for future in vivo reimplantation. Therefore, they may offer new perspectives for repairing large bone defects and for bone tissue engineering.

[Application of personalized guide plate combined with real-time navigation in repairing mandibular defect using fibula muscle flap]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the application of personalized guide plate combined with intraoperative real-time navigation in repairing of mandibular defect using fibula muscle flap, providing the basis for the precise repair and reconstruction of mandible.

METHODS

The clinical data of 12 patients (9 males and 3 females) aged from 23 to 71 years (mean, 55.5 years) between July 2019 and December 2021 were recorded. These patients were diagnosed as benign or malignant mandibular tumors, including 2 cases of ameloblastoma, 6 cases of squamous cell carcinoma, 2 cases of osteosarcoma, 1 case of adenoid cystic carcinoma, and 1 case of squamous carcinoma. All patients were treated with mandibular amputation, and then repaired by double-stacked three-segment fibula muscle flap. Preoperative virtual design scheme and guide plate were performed. During the operation, personalized guide plate combined with real-time navigation was used for fibular osteotomy and shaping. Thin-slice CT examination was performed at 2-3 weeks after operation, and was fitted with the preoperative virtual design scheme. The difference between the distance of bilateral mandibular angles relative to the reference plane in three-dimensional directions (left-right, vertical, and anterior-posterior) and the difference of the medial angle of the lower edge of the mandible reconstructed by fibula were measured, and the mean error of chromatographic fitting degree was calculated.

RESULTS

The guide plate and navigation were applied well, and the fibula shaping and positioning were accurate. The fibula muscle flap survived, the incision healed well, and the occlusal relationship was good. All 12 patients were followed up 1-29 months, with an average of 17 months. There was no significant difference on the distance of bilateral mandibular angles relative to the reference plane in the left-right [(-0.24±1.35) mm; t=-0.618, P=0.549], vertical [-0.85 (-1.35, 1.40) mm; Z=-0.079, P=0.937], and anterior-posterior [(-0.46±0.78) mm; t=-2.036, P=0.067] directions. The difference of the medial angle of the lower edge of the mandible reconstructed by fibula was also not significant [(-1.35±4.34)°; t=-1.081, P=0.303)]. Postoperative CT and preoperative virtual design fitting verified that there was no significant difference in the change of the mandibular angle on both sides, and the average error was (0.47±1.39) mm.

CONCLUSION

The personalized guide combined with intraoperative real-time navigation improves the accuracy of peroneal muscle flap reconstruction of the mandible, reduces the complications, and provides a preliminary basis for the application of visual intraoperative navigation in fibula muscle flap reconstruction of the mandible.

Free Your Mind, Not Your Flap

The pedicled flap has been a mainstay of soft tissue reconstruction since the earliest days of plastic surgery. Advances in surgical technology and skill have led to an erosion in the use of pedicled flaps in favor of increasingly popular free tissue transfers. Still, regional flaps without microvascular anastomosis remain a valuable reconstructive tool. Although still requiring microsurgical skills, these flaps are of particular benefit in patients with few or poor quality recipient vessels, in those who cannot tolerate antiplatelet therapy, and in those who cannot tolerate the often-extended anesthesia time necessitated by microvascular anastomosis. Furthermore, pedicled flaps may significantly reduce total cost of a reconstruction procedure with similar outcomes. In this case series, we report challenging scenarios where microsurgical approaches may have been typical choices but were instead reconstructed by pedicled options with desired outcomes. Difficult soft tissue defects were successfully reconstructed with a variety of pedicled flaps. Soft tissue transfers to the abdomen, flank, shoulder, and back are presented. None of the reconstructions required microvascular anastomosis.