The proximal fibular free flap - an ideal material for reconstructing distal radius defect after Giant tumor cell resection. A case report

Giant cell tumors (GCT) of the distal end of radius are relatively common tumors, representing approximately 5% of all primary bone tumors. It is the third most common location for GCT following distal femur and proximal tibia. In general, treatment includes thorough tumor excision, reconstruction of the defect, and wrist joint rehabilitation. The proximal fibular free flap is an ideal material for distal radius reconstruction after giant cell tumor excision. We present a case of a 57-year-old female, admitted to the hospital due to painful and limited proper wrist movement. Based on X-ray and Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images and histopathology findings, the patient was diagnosed with a stage 3 giant cell tumor of the distal radius. The patient underwent a one-step surgery of tumor excision and distal radius reconstruction by a vascularized proximal fibular free flap. 2 years follow-up post-surgery showed that the patient had no pain of the wrist, improved wrist joint function, no sign of recurrence, and good flap vitality and the knee joint remains normal. In conclusion, the surgery was successful with no further prolonged pain, improvement of the wrist joint function and overall improvement of the patient quality of life.

The congenital popliteal vasculature patterns in fibular free flap reconstruction by means of surgical anatomy in cadavers

Fibular free flap (FFF) is frequently used for reconstruction requiring vascularized bone. Thus, understanding its vasculature variation is crucial. This study investigates the popliteal artery branching variations in Thai cadavers and compares them with previous studies. One hundred and sixty-two legs from 81 formalin-embalmed cadavers were dissected. The popliteal artery branching patterns were classified. The previous data retrieved from cadaveric and angiographic studies were also collected and compared with the current study. The most common pattern is type I-A (90.7%). For the variants, type III-A was the majority among variants (6.2%). Type IV-A, hypoplastic peroneal artery, was found in one limb. A symmetrical branching pattern was found in 74 cadavers. Compared with cadaveric studies, type III-B and III-C are significantly common in angiographic studies (p = 0.015 and p = 0.009, respectively). Type I-A is most common according to previous studies. Apart from this, the prevalence of type III-A variant was higher than in previous studies. Furthermore, type III-B and III-C are more frequent in angiographic studies which might be from atherosclerosis. Thus, if the pre-operative CTA policy is not mandatory, the patients at risk for atherosclerosis and population with high variants prevalence should undergo pre-operative CTA with cost-effectiveness consideration.