Comparison of lateral arm flap and posterior interosseous artery flap for soft tissue reconstruction of the elbow

The study aimed to evaluate and compare the two different flap techniques used for the reconstruction of soft tissue defects in the elbow region: the lateral arm flap (LAA) and posterior interosseous artery (PIA) flap. The retrospective study included 12 patients who underwent surgical treatment for soft tissue defects between 2012-2018 at the clinic. The study evaluated demographic data, flap size, operating time, donor site, flap complications, number of perfora-tors, and functional and cosmetic outcomes. Results showed that patients who underwent PIA flap had significantly smaller defect size than those who underwent LAA flap (p0.05). Patients who received PIA flaps had significantly lower QuickDASH scores, indicating better functional results (p