title: An Overview of Pre-expanded Perforator Flaps: Part 1, Current Concepts.
abstract: Pre-expanded perforator flaps, a combination of tissue expansion with perforator flaps, are emerging as another landmark of plastic surgery. This flap inherits the characteristics of both perforator flaps and expanded flaps, making it a highly versatile option in reconstructive surgery. However, the definition of the pre-expanded perforator flap and the impact of pre-expansion on the superficial angio-architecture remain controversial. In this article, the authors review current concepts including the mechanism of expansion and the resultant changes in the angio-architecture. The authors also review the previous studies and classifications of pre-expanded perforator flaps.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, Dongguan Kanghua Hospital, 1000 Donguan Avenue, Dongguan, Guangdong Province 523080, P.R. China. Electronic address: chunmei22@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Chunmei
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, Dongguan Kanghua Hospital, 1000 Donguan Avenue, Dongguan, Guangdong Province 523080, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Sifen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, Dongguan Kanghua Hospital, 1000 Donguan Avenue, Dongguan, Guangdong Province 523080, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Lun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic Surgery, University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hyakusoku
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic Surgery, University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, USA. Electronic address: llpu@ucdavis.edu.
authors.forename: Lee L Q
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Pu
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D061525:Perforator Flap / Q000098:blood supply; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D015626:Tissue Expansion
keywords: Perforator flaps; Pre-expanded perforator flaps; Pre-expansion; Pre-fabrication; Skin flaps