One Versus Two Veins in Free Anterolateral Thigh Flap Reconstruction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

There is considerable debate in the literature as to whether one or two venous anastomoses are optimal in the anterolateral thigh (ALT) free-flap reconstruction. The literature is currently devoid of a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies evaluating these procedures. This review will therefore be the first to address this clinical question. In accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, two authors (EW and SR) independently searched the following electronic databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). Case-control, randomised control and observational studies were included. The authors did not include case reports, case series, letters or abstracts. All patients were included regardless of age, co -morbidity status, and the anatomical site of reconstruction. Venous congestion/thrombosis, flap take-back rate due to venous insufficiency, flap loss and operative time were the primary outcome measures. Secondary outcome measures included partial flap loss and haematoma formation. The Newcastle Ottawa Scale was used to assess the risk of bias in the included studies. Review Manager 5.4 data synthesis software was used for the analysis. The authors identified eight observational studies, with a total of 1741 patients reviewed, demonstrating a significantly lower flap take-back rate for a double venous anastomosis and a shorter operative time in the single venous anastomosis group. However, other reported measures, including venous congestion and flap loss, showed a non-significant difference (P>0.05). The limitations of the evidence included in this review were that all studies were observational in design. The flap take-back rate is significantly less when anastomosing two veins, and the authors recommend that utilising a second vein can circumvent the caveat of venous compromise.