{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]],"date-time":"2026-10-06T18:40:41Z","timestamp":1791312041879,"version":"4.3.1"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,20]],"date-time":"2024-06-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1718841600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Introduction: Sarcoma resection often leaves patients with big defects only amenable through microsurgical reconstruction. In such cases, it is hard for the surgeon to uphold low donor-site morbidity with an aesthetic result. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical outcome and the patient\u2019s perception regarding the donor site in a cohort of patients undergoing microsurgical reconstruction with lateral thigh and lower abdominal perforator flaps. Methods: A retrospective evaluation of all patients who underwent sarcoma reconstruction with flaps harvested from the lower abdominal region (deep inferior epigastric artery perforator flap, superficial circumflex iliac artery perforator flap) or lateral thigh region (anterolateral thigh perforator flap and its variations) was performed. Only patients with defects greater than 100 cm2 were included. Patient demographics and operative variables were recorded, together with complications. Patient satisfaction and quality of life with the donor site were registered using the SCAR-Q questionnaire, which was administered at least six months post-operatively. Results: Eighteen anterolateral thigh (ALT) perforator flaps and twenty-two deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEP) and superficial circumflex iliac artery perforator (SCIP) flap procedures were performed. The two groups were homogeneous for major post-operative complications (p &gt; 0.999). Patient satisfaction with the donor site measured using the SCAR-Q questionnaire showed significantly higher scores in the DIEP\/SCIP group when compared with the thigh group (p &lt; 0.001), indicating a superiority of the lower abdominal area as an aesthetic donor site. Conclusions: The DIEP and SCIP flaps are a versatile option for reconstructing large soft-tissue defects following sarcoma resection. Therefore, flaps harvested from the lower abdomen yield a higher patient satisfaction with the donor site, which is a feature worth considering when planning a reconstructive procedure.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm13123622","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,20]],"date-time":"2024-06-20T11:42:03Z","timestamp":1718883723000},"page":"3622","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Lower Abdominal vs. Lateral Thigh Perforator Flaps in Microsurgical Sarcoma Reconstruction: The Aesthetics of Donor Site Matters"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Beniamino","family":"Brunetti","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, 00128 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rosa","family":"Salzillo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, 00128 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-6116-7711","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Riccardo","family":"De Bernardis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, 00128 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Valeria","family":"Petrucci","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, 00128 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-7588-9031","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Matteo","family":"Pazzaglia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, 00128 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chiara","family":"Camilloni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, 00128 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alessandra","family":"Putti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, 00128 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8910-6586","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marco","family":"Morelli Coppola","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, 00128 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7858-1528","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stefania","family":"Tenna","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, 00128 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Paolo","family":"Persichetti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, 00128 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"434","DOI":"10.1002\/micr.20895","article-title":"Free tissue transfer in reconstruction following soft tissue sarcoma resection","volume":"31","author":"Penna","year":"2011","journal-title":"Microsurgery"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1304","DOI":"10.1016\/j.bjps.2019.04.016","article-title":"A reconstructive algorithm after thigh soft tissue sarcoma resection including predictors of free flap reconstruction","volume":"72","author":"Elswick","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. 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JPRAS"},{"key":"ref_44","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"353","DOI":"10.1002\/micr.30539","article-title":"The use of lower abdominal perforator flaps in soft-tissue reconstruction after sarcoma resection","volume":"40","author":"Miyamoto","year":"2020","journal-title":"Microsurgery"},{"key":"ref_45","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e5714","DOI":"10.1097\/GOX.0000000000005714","article-title":"Confusion Regarding the Anatomy of the Superficial Inferior Epigastric Artery and the Superficial Circumflex Iliac Artery Superficial Branch","volume":"12","author":"Franchi","year":"2024","journal-title":"Plast. Reconstr. Surg. Glob. Open"}],"container-title":["Journal of Clinical Medicine"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2077-0383\/13\/12\/3622\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T15:01:51Z","timestamp":1760108511000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2077-0383\/13\/12\/3622"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,20]]},"references-count":45,"journal-issue":{"issue":"12","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,6]]}},"alternative-id":["jcm13123622"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/jcm13123622","relation":{},"ISSN":["2077-0383"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2077-0383","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,20]]}}}