Modified lateral gastrocnemius myocutaneous flap with extended anterior and/or inferior boundary

Abstract

There is little information regarding the boundaries of the lateral gastrocnemius myocutaneous (LGM) flap. The aim of this study was to introduce the modified technique of the LGM flap with extended anterior and/or inferior boundaries and its anatomical basis. Five fresh lower limb specimens were perfused and radiographed. Between December 2003 and August 2018, 27 modified LGM flaps with extended anterior and/or inferior boundaries were raised in 27 patients to reconstruct the soft tissue defects over the middle and upper leg, knee, and lower thigh. Both the lateral popliteal cutaneous artery and musculocutaneous perforators from the lateral sural artery had rich linked arteries communicating with the chain-linked arterial network around both the posterolateral intermuscular septum and the sural nerve, and they also had rich transverse communicating arteries connecting with the perifascial arterial network overlying the anterior compartment in the upper and middle calf. Continuous fascial arterial networks were extended up to the level at the intermalleolar line. Twenty-three flaps survived uneventfully, 2 flaps displayed distal de-epithelialization, and 2 flaps (7.41%) developed partial necrosis. Osteomyelitis was cured successfully in all patients, and no relapse of infection was encountered during the follow-up period. Multiple feeder arteries are the arterial anatomic basis of the modified LGM flap. The modified LGM flap with extended anterior and/or inferior boundaries is feasible, and the modified flap with extended anterior boundaries is safe and reliable.