ABSTRACT
The anterolateral thigh flap is a perforator flap. A perforator flap is a flap of skin or subcutaneous tissue, which is based on the dissection of a perforating vessel. A perforating vessel or, in short, a perforator, is a vessel that has its origin in one of the axial vessels of the body. It passes through certain structural elements of the body besides interstitial connective tissue and fat before reaching the subcutaneous fat layer. As a perforator flap, the anterolateral thigh flap is relatively simple to raise and in most hands has been reported as an extremely reliable flap for a variety of defects. If the flap pedicle is harvested at its junction with the profunda vessels, the artery is typically 4 mm in diameter and the vein 6 mm in diameter, and it is extremely long. Like most perforator flaps, it has the advantage of not removing a bulk of muscle and of the skin being closed primarily.
