After studying this article, the participant should be able to: 1. Understand the history and physiology of perforator flaps. 2. Understand the concept of "free-style" perforator flaps and principles in design and harvest. 3. Understand the uses of perforator flaps in reconstruction and applications in new settings. 4. Understand new principles in single and multiple perforator flap harvest and adjunct techniques that can be used in perforator flaps. 5. Highlight pertinent anatomy and techniques for selected perforator flaps described.
Extended knowledge of vascular anatomy has propagated the development of perforator flaps, which preserve muscle function and reduce morbidity. This has been achieved through the exemplary works of Manchot, Salmon, Milton, Taylor, and many others. With over 350 clinically relevant perforators in the body, this has created new flap options and a sense of creative freedom for reconstruction tailored toward a specific defect, without constraints of specific landmarks and using a "free-style" approach. Dominant perforators may be found in zones of high perforator density or "hot spots," which can help to conceptualize local flap options and aid flap design. This article aims to outline the history, physiology, and principles of flap design and harvest, and highlight traditional and evolving concepts and modifications of contemporary and traditional flaps that are changing reconstructive practice. This is a broad overview focusing on clinical applications, highlighting key concepts in a selection of new or evolving flaps being used in clinical practice and providing source references to acquire detailed flap descriptions.
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 15. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 21 January 2018.
All research outputs
#2,714,322
of 27,348,485 outputs
Outputs from Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
#1,140
of 10,922 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#41,190
of 316,432 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
#33
of 147 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 27,348,485 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 90th percentile: it's in the top 10% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 10,922 research outputs from this source. They typically receive more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 8.9. This one has done well, scoring higher than 89% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 316,432 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done well, scoring higher than 86% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 147 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has done well, scoring higher than 77% of its contemporaries.
