Resumen

GARCIA-BERNAL, F.J. et al. Joint rescue with anterolateral thigh flap. Cir. plást. iberolatinoam. [online]. 2015, vol.41, n.2, pp.155-162. ISSN 1989-2055.  https://dx.doi.org/10.4321/S0376-78922015000200005.

Sometimes, the severity of the trauma or the existence of a cancer force to amputate a limb. The prosthetic rehabilitation process and residual function will be influenced by the remaining length of the limb, the presence or absence of functional joints and the quality of the coverage of the stump. Two cases of amputations are shown. The former is an acute traumatic upper limb amputation at the level of the proximal third of forearm with skin avulsion from the middle third of the arm and the elbow joint preserved. The second case is the sequelae of an amputation below the knee due to lower extremity osteosarcoma, which was referred with suppurative draining cutaneous fistulas as a consequence of an osteomyelitis of the femur in the stump. In both patients the stumps were covered with anterolateral thigh flap anastomosed over the radial artery in the case of the upper extremity, and over the descending genicular artery in the lower extremity. In both cases the postoperative course was uneventful, preserving the elbow and knee respectively and allowing the subsequent prosthetic rehabilitation. We consider that anterolateral thigh flap is a suitable option for the treatment of the amputation stump. Given the characteristics of the tissue and volume provided by this flap, it is appropriate for coverage of acute defects and for padding deficits in chronic cases.

Palabras clave : Microsurgery; Amputation stump; Anterolateral thigh flap; Joint rescue.

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