Convenient coverage of soft-tissue defects around the knee by the pedicled vastus medialis perforator flap

SummaryVarious reconstructive methods have been reported for coverage of soft-tissue defects around the knee; however, there is still no report about the pedicled vastus medialis perforator flap; hence, this article aims to elaborate on this approach for resurfacing of defects around the knee. From January 2010 to December 2010, six patients with defect size ranging from 5.0 × 3.3 to 10.5 × 7.0 cm received soft-tissue coverage with the pedicled vastus medialis perforator flap. Among them, five cases were male, and the other female. The age of patients ranged from 20 to 52 years, with an average of 34.5 years. The injury of one patient was caused by being crushed by a heavy metal object, and the rest sustained injuries in traffic accidents. The defect in one case was located at the inferomedial aspect of the thigh, and the rest around the knee. Five flaps survived completely, while one case suffered marginal necrosis due to infection. The donor sites healed without complication. Postoperative follow-ups of the patients ranged from 1 to 18 months. Through the article, we demonstrate the feasibility of using the pedicled vastus medialis perforator flap for reconstruction of knee injuries, which makes the knowledge of the vastus medialis-related flap series more complete and also enriches the methods of repairing defects around the knee.