Trials and Tribulations with the Inferior Gluteal Artery Perforator Flap in Autologous Breast Reconstruction

Abstract

Review of the IGAP flap reveals some shortcomings of this flap even in the hands of an experienced microsurgeon. Surgeons should be aware of the difficulties and limitations when choosing this flap for reconstruction.

The Microvascular Anatomy of Superior and Inferior Gluteal Artery Perforator (SGAP and IGAP) Flaps: A Fresh Cadaveric Study and Clinical Implications

“…Intraoperative difficulties of dissection and vessel anastomosis, lengthy operating times, and high rates of vascular complications have been reported when using these flaps [17,18]. However, the number of anatomical studies, compared to the clinical ones performed so far, is limited.…”

Donor-site morbidity of the inferior gluteal artery perforator flap for breast reconstruction in teenagers

“…Some reports on the IGAP flap have presented outcomes on the donor site, but none have quantitative or objective data. Dysesthesia on the posterior thigh and contour deformity were recurrent complaints of patients in these studies (5,7,9,12,16).…”

Reconstruction mammaire par profunda artery perforator flap : étude prospective des 30 premiers cas consécutifs

“…Le second choix se porte alors soit vers la fesse avec les lambeaux inferior gluteal artery perforator (IGAP) ou superior gluteal artery perorator (SGAP) [4,[17][18][19][20], soit vers la cuisse avec le lambeau de gracilis à palette transversale haute (TUG) [5,12,21,22] (Tableau 5).…”

“…Le SGAP et l'IGAP sont des lambeaux dont le prélèvement est difficile, avec des taux d'échec relativement élevés dans les différentes séries et dans notre expérience [4,[17][18][19][20].…”

“…L'indice de masse corporel moyen (IMC) était de 23,7 (18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)5). Dix-sept patientes (57 %) ont eu de la radiothérapie en préopératoire.…”