title: Thoracodorsal artery perforator (TAP) flap reconstruction of a soft-tissue defect of the knee following below-knee amputation.
abstract: Soft-tissue coverage of lower extremity defects with thin, sensate, mobile, and durable soft tissue is challenging. Reconstructive options are further limited in the setting of a below-knee amputation. The authors present the first report of an innervated thoracodorsal artery perforator (TAP) flap for coverage of an anterior knee soft-tissue defect in a patient with bilateral below-knee amputations following disseminated meningococcemia. The soft-tissue defect measured 11 x 17 cm2 centered over the patella, and the TAP flap provided adequate pedicle length, with optimal soft-tissue thickness and pliability with the potential for innervation and minimal donor-site morbidity. Six months postoperatively, the patient is ambulating well with prostheses fitted over her well-healed, stable, knee coverage.
authors.affiliation: Section of Plastic Surgery,University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
authors.forename: Amanda J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Fortin
authors.forename: Roman J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Skoracki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000671:Amputation, Surgical; D000672:Amputation Stumps; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007717:Knee / Q000601:surgery*; D008589:Meningococcal Infections / Q000601:surgery; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000098:blood supply; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D017695:Soft Tissue Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000098:blood supply*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing