Safety of free fibula flap harvest in IIIA and IIIB tibio-peroneal trunk variations

Introduction: In head and neck cancer malignancies, free fibula flap is the gold standard for reconstruction of segmental bone defects owing to its predictable anatomy, long bone length, and feasibility for multiple osteotomies. However, sometimes because of variations in anatomy of tibio-peroneal trunk, it is a dilemma for the surgeons to use free fibula flap for reconstruction. This case series aimed to evaluate the safety of harvest of fibula in such cases in terms of acute and chronic donor-site complications.

Material and methods: A retrospective study was conducted from January 2018 to May 2021. All the patients with tibio-peroneal trunk anomaly, diagnosed during surgery, who underwent successful harvest of the free fibula were included in the study and analyzed for the early major and minor donor wound complications, long-term donor complications, and late functional deficit using the Foot and Ankle Disability Index (FADI).

Results: Out of 714 free fibulae operated, 26 patients (3.6%) had such tibio-peroneal trunk variations: 22 (2.9%) cases of type III A and B anomalies and 4 (0.56%) cases of type III C anomalies. The average FADI score was 95.3%. No one had any difficulty in personal care and activity of daily living.

Conclusions: The free fibula flap can be safely harvested in patients with type III A and B anomalies if vascularity of foot after clamping of peroneal vessels is good and anterior tibial vessels are normal.