ABSTRACT
Among the many bone and muscle flaps described in literature, several have stood the
test of time and come forward as the preferred donor sites. Each has its own advantages
and disadvantages. Yet another bone flap that has never been described in literature
is introduced here. This is the vascularized femur bone flap based on the periosteal
blood supply from the overlying vastus intermedius muscle. The vastus intermedius
muscle free flap has the advantage of easy harvest, consistent vascular anatomy, long
pedicle with large-caliber vessels, easy patient positioning, two-team approach, large
surface area, minimal thickness, minimal donor site morbidity, and minimal functional
loss. In this report, the femur-vastus intermedius-anterolateral thigh osteomyocutaneous
chimeric free flap based on the descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral
artery is used in the reconstruction of a complex composite defect of the lower extremity.
KEYWORDS
Anterolateral thigh flap - vastus intermedius flap - femur flap - lateral circumflex
femoral artery - foot reconstruction
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Tahsin Oguz AcartürkM.D.
Cukurova University School of Medicine, Plastic
Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Adana, Turkiye 01330, Adana, Turkey 01330
Email: toacarturk@yahoo.com