Reconstruction of a knee defect in a morbidly obese patient with a pedicled reverse anterolateral thigh flap

Abstract

The anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap is widely used in the reconstruction of a variety of soft tissue defects. Descriptions of patients with severe obesity in the literature are scarce. We report a case where a reverse pedicled fasciocutaneous ALT flap was successfully used for resurfacing of a knee defect measuring 12×6 cm in a patient with a body mass index (BMI) of 47.3. The flap was supercharged to the greater saphenous vein to optimise flap survival. Reconstruction of the soft tissue of the knee was achieved as planned. There were no flap or donor site complications.