Radial Forearm Donor Site Closure
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Split-Thickness Skin Graft for Radial Forearm Donor Site Closure, Hatchet Flap for Radial Forearm Donor Site Closure.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Oral Cancer, Oral Cavity Cancer, Donor Site Complication. Basic parameters: from 18 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Canada
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Official title
Functional and Aesthetic Outcomes of Radial Forearm Free Flap Closure Using Split-Thickness Skin Graft vs Primary Closure; a Randomized Control Trial
Overview
The radial forearm free flap (RFFF) is widely used in head and neck reconstruction. Its thinness, pliability, pedicle length, and vessel size are particularly suited for oropharyngeal and oral cavity reconstruction. Concerns about aesthetic and functional morbidity at the donor site have given rise to various techniques of closing the donor site, two of which are the split-thickness skin graft (STSG), taken from the thigh, and the hatchet flap, which uses a local flap within the radial forearm. This RCT will determine whether retrospectively reported improvements to aesthetic and functional outcomes for STSG patients are greater compared to hatchet flap patients.
Detailed description
The radial forearm free flap (RFFF), introduced by Yang et al. in 1981, is widely used in head and neck reconstruction. Its thinness, pliability, pedicle length, and vessel size are particularly suited for oropharyngeal and oral cavity reconstruction. Since the survival rate of the RFFF has reached more than 95%, the clinical focus has gradually shifted to the postoperative quality of life, particularly in terms of donor site morbidity.
Concerns about aesthetic and functional morbidity at the donor site have given rise to various techniques of closing the donor site of a RFFF. Many possibilities of donor site closures have been described, ranging from direct closure to skin grafting, tissue expansion, use of acellular dermal matrix and local flaps. Each of these techniques has its own advantages and drawbacks and the debate regarding the optimal method for closing the RFFF donor site continues.
Split-thickness skin graft (STSG) is a very thin strip of skin that is typically taken from the upper thigh and is the most commonly used method to cover the forearm after taking the RFFF. Advantages of this technique include reducing the amount of tension that is on the forearm which may lead to a better scar and better mobility while disadvantages include the need of an additional scar on the thigh and possible mismatch of the color of the skin graft when compared to the forearm.
Due to these potential limitations, surgeons have attempted to close the forearm directly by means of local flaps, which use nearby skin, soft tissue, and blood vessels to cover the forearm. The hatchet flap is a triangular local rotation flap, first described by Emmet in 1977, with a greater or lesser degree of advancement and with a back cut at the base of the flap through which it derives its vascular supply. This method may allow for quicker wound healing by primary intention and improved coverage of the tendons which should theoretically decrease donor site morbidity; however, since only tissue from the forearm is used this may lead to increased tension and therefore increased scar formation.
Risks and complications for both types of closure are the same which include bleeding, infection, hypertrophic scars, tendon exposure, divot formation, irregular skin graft surface, prolonged wound healing, and loss of skin graft. There are only a few studies on the functional and visual outcomes of forearm closure after RFFF removal using the hatchet flap or similar local flaps, warranting the need for further studies on these closure techniques.
It is hypothesized that donor site closure using the STSG flap will result in greater functional and aesthetic outcomes for the radial forearm donor site as measured by an improved scores to the 3 given questionnaires. Post-operative complication rates are also hypothesized to be lower for STSG flap closure when compared to hatchet flap closure.
The literature currently remains in a state of clinical equipoise, and at the study site (Vancouver General Hospital) the STSG and hatchet flap are the two most common methods of donor site closure. Based on a retrospective data analysis at the study site, functional and patient-reported scar aesthetic outcomes were improved for STSG flap closure patients when compared to hatchet flap patients. As a retrospective analysis, objective assessments of the scar could not be performed, nor could the immediate post-operative outcomes be taken and compared over a consistent post-operative time frame schedule. This study aims to address this knowledge gap by conducting a parallel-group randomized controlled trial for the study site's two common donor site closure techniques, STSG and hatchet flap.
Interventions
- Procedure Split-Thickness Skin Graft for Radial Forearm Donor Site Closure
This method is performed by harvesting a 0.014-inch skin graft harvested from the anterolateral thigh on the side of the RFFF to reconstruct the forearm donor site. This skin graft is then used to cover the donor defect. The skin graft is sutured in place with 4-0 chromic suture, and a standard bolster dressing will be applied, and a partial splint will be left in place for five days post-operation. - Procedure Hatchet Flap for Radial Forearm Donor Site Closure
The hatchet flap closures will be performed based on prior description by Lane et al. (12), except no drain is placed in situ. A back cut of 3 to 4 cm is made to aid closure (Figure 1). Tension will be minimized by maintaining the wrist in flexion. A mepore dressing will be applied to the donor site post-operatively for two days.
Primary outcome measures
- First Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire (MHOQ) Measure [Time frame: Measure documented at 1 month post-surgery.]
- Second MHOQ Measure [Time frame: Measure documented between 3-6 months post-surgery.]
- First Patient and Observer Scale Assessment Scale (POSAS) Measure [Time frame: Measure documented at 1 month post-surgery.]
- Second POSAS Measure [Time frame: Measure documented between 3-6 months post-surgery.]
- First Decision Regret Scale (DRS) Measure [Time frame: Measure documented at 1 month post-surgery.]
- Second DRS Measure [Time frame: Measure documented between 3-6 months post-surgery.]
Secondary outcome measures (9)
- Localized Hematoma at Donor Site [Time frame: Patients will be monitored for 6 months post-operatively.]
- Donor Site Infection [Time frame: Patients will be monitored for 6 months post-operatively.]
- Donor Site Wound Dehiscence [Time frame: Patients will be monitored for 6 months post-operatively.]
- Donor Site Tendon Exposure [Time frame: Patients will be monitored for 6 months post-operatively.]
- Donor Site Skin Necrosis [Time frame: Patients will be monitored for 6 months post-operatively.]
- Donor Site Contractures [Time frame: Patients will be monitored for 6 months post-operatively.]
- Keloid Scarring at Donor Site Wound [Time frame: Patients will be monitored for 6 months post-operatively.]
- Divot Formation into Skin at Donor Site [Time frame: Patients will be monitored for 6 months post-operatively.]
- Skin Graft Irregularities at Donor Site [Time frame: Patients will be monitored for 6 months post-operatively.]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Adults aged 18 or older
- Oral cavity disease (malignant or benign) requiring radial forearm free flap reconstruction
Exclusion criteria
- Serious medical comorbidities including metastatic disease or other contraindications to surgery
- Any pre-existing condition affecting the use of both hands, including previous major scars
- Unable or unwilling to complete post-operative questionnaires in English
- Pregnant or lactating women
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Open label
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
Study locations
Canada · 1 center
- Vancouver General Hospital — Vancouver
Identifiers
NCT: NCT05740033 · H22-02104