Background: A thinned anterolateral thigh flap is often necessary to achieve optimal skin resurfacing. In this article, we describe the techniques available for immediate flap thinning and the vascular complications that can follow trimming.
Materials and methods: A systematic literature review was performed to identify the different thinning techniques and any possible complications. Data were identified by performing a systematic search on Medline, Ovid, Embase, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Current Contents, PubMed, Google, and Google Scholar. We cross-referenced the identified articles and conference abstracts in the English and French languages.
Results: The study selection process was adapted from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement, and 34 were articles compiled by using the study inclusion criteria. These articles were then reviewed for the author name(s), the publication year, the flap dimensions, the flap thickness (both before and after thinning), the perforator type, the type of flap transfer, the complications that followed the thinning, the thinning technique used, the amount of deep fascia preserved around the perforator, the number of cases in the study, the area of application, and the technique used for donor-site closure. We analyzed the possible vascular complications that stemmed from the flap area site selected, the flap thickness, the thinning technique used, and whether the deep fascia was spared.
Conclusions: The subfascial dissection of anterolateral thigh flaps revealed that the safest method for minimizing vascular complications accounted for a 3.1% probability for marginal necrosis, which can be managed conservatively. The overall breakdown of the vascular-related complications that followed flap thinning totals 13.4% and can be broken down as follows: partial flap loss of 4.1%, partial distal necrosis of 3.5%, marginal necrosis of 3.1%, and total flap loss of 2.5%.