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Why would you need this surgery?
Why would you need this surgery?
When an area of your body has been damaged by cancer, injury, or another medical condition, surgeons can use your own healthy tissue to rebuild that area after the diseased part has been removed. Because the tissue comes from your own body, it can heal and become a living part of the reconstructed area. An Anterolateral Thigh (ALT) free flap is one of the most commonly used free flaps due to its versatility and limited harm to the harvested site on the thigh. With this flap, some skin, fat, and/or muscle from your thigh can be used to reconstruct another part of your body for better functional and cosmetic outcomes after removing tissue from that area. This flap is used most commonly used to reconstruct the mouth, throat, and neck.
Swipe through the images below to see how it works!
What happens after surgery?
It is important to note that every patient's surgery and recovery is different. Your surgical team will give you instructions based on your specific procedure and needs.
Step 1: Watching the Flap Closely
During the first few days after surgery, your care team will monitor the flap closely to make sure blood is flowing properly.They may check its color, warmth, and blood flow using specialized monitoring techniques.
Step 2: Caring for Both Surgical Areas
After an ALT free flap, your body is healing in two places: the reconstructed area, and the thigh where the tissue was taken. Your care team will monitor both areas and provide instructions for dressings, pain control, and wound care.
Step 3: Gradually Returning to Movement
Movement and activity are usually reintroduced gradually. Your care team may work with you to help you safely sit, stand, and walk while you regain strength. Initially, some discomfort or tightness in the thigh is expected as this area heals, but your leg is expected to return to its normal function after an ALT free flap. Some patients may notice a size difference between their thighs after this surgery, but many do not find it to be noticeable afterwards.
Step 4: Continuing Your Recovery
Recovery continues after you leave the hospital. Follow-up visits allow your surgical team to monitor healing and answer questions along the way. Over time, swelling of the flap steadily improves, incisions heal, and your body continues adjusting to the reconstruction.
Quick Facts:
Quick Facts:
How long is the surgery? Most commonly around 6-12 hours depending on the resection needed and individual case complexity.
How long is the hospital stay? Also highly individual dependent, anywhere from 5 –10 days.
Where does the tissue come from? - The outer thigh.
Will the Blood Vessels be Reconnected? Yes! Tiny blood vessels are connected under a microscope so the tissue stays healthy.
Will I Still Be Able to Walk? Most people return to their baseline mobility and function after recovery.
Will there be scarring? You will have a scar from your incision on the lateral aspect of your thigh, and scars where the flap is transferred.
Why the ALT Flap is useful
The ALT flap is a versatile free flap that can provide a large amount of skin, subcutaneous tissue, and muscle. This allows the surgeon to modify the flap depending on the defect/reconstructive needs.
It has a long vessel supplying the tissue (vascular pedicle) which allows for versatility when re-attaching the blood supply at the reconstruction site.
The flap can often be harvested with relatively little negative functional impact at the donor site.
Vascular anatomy
The primary blood supply is usually from the descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery.
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