Patient summary
A retrospective review of data from 160 patients was carried out, with patient characteristics detailed in Supplementary Table S1. Postoperatively, complications arose in 16 patients, comprising 7 instances of flap loss, and 9 successful flap preservations subsequent to titanium plate removal, with one patient experiencing postoperative bleeding, as noted in Table 1. Those who suffered flap loss exhibited an average age of 42.14 ± 10.51 years, predominantly female (5 out of 7 cases), and primarily diagnosed with benign lesions (4 out of 7 cases). Contrastingly, patients facing titanium plate rejection had an older average age of 52.00 ± 16.57 years, mostly male (7 out of 9 cases), with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) being the prevalent pathological type (6 out of 9 cases). Such outcomes may be linked to additional radiotherapy typically required for SCC patients post-surgery, potentially impairing vascular and osseous cells. Occasionally, hypersensitivity to the titanium plate may lead to fistula formation, necessitating plate removal. The demographics of patients who encountered complications are summarized in Table 1.
Table 1
Demographics of patients who experienced complications.
Variable | FL (n = 7) | TR (n = 9) | p Value |
Age (years) | 42.14 ± 10.51 | 54.33 ± 17.01 | 0.119 |
Gender | | | 0.072 |
Males | 2 | 7 | |
Females | 5 | 2 | |
benign or malignant | | | 0.182 |
Benign lesions | 4 | 2 | |
Malignant tumours | 3 | 7 | |
Pathological diagnosis | | | |
Ameloblastoma | 1 | 1 | |
Odontogenic cyst (OC) | 1 | 1 | |
Squamous cell carcinoma | 1 | 6 | |
Adenoid cystic carcinoma | 0 | 1 | |
Mucoepidermoid carcinoma | 1 | 0 | |
Malignant transformation of OC | 1 | 0 | |
Others | 2 | 0 | |
Abbreviations: FL, flap loss; TR, titanium plate rejection. |
Table 1 Demographics of patients who experienced complications.
Baseline level of D-dimer in patients who receive vascularized iliac crest flap
Upon reviewing the preoperative plasma D-dimer levels in 160 patients undergoing vascularized iliac crest flap procedures for the maxilla (Figure 1A) and mandible (Figure 1B), the analysis revealed no substantial correlation with variables such as patient age (Figure 1C), gender (Figure 1D), systemic diseases (including hypertension and diabetes) (Figure 1E), or pathological classifications (Figure 1F). This suggests that these demographic and health-related factors do not markedly influence the foundational plasma D-dimer levels in these patients.
Postoperative alterations of D-dimer levels and their influencing factors in patients without complications
An analysis of the plasma D-dimer levels in a cohort of 143 patients, who manifested no post-surgical complications, uncovered a distinct pattern of fluctuation in these levels. It was noted that following the surgery, D-dimer concentrations ascended on the first and second days, peaking on the latter. A marginal decline was then noted on the third day, with levels rebounding on the fourth, stabilizing at a plateau congruent with first-day measurements. The levelling of D-dimer persisted thereafter. Quantitatively, post-surgical D-dimer levels surged to approximately 4.8 times the preoperative baseline on day one, 7.17 times on day two, and settled back to 3.18 times on day three. The highest elevation was recorded on the second day post-operation (Figure 2A).
Patients diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma exhibited a pronounced increment in plasma D-dimer levels, peaking two days post-surgery. Subsequent to a decline that aligned them with the non-complicated cohort on the third day, their levels witnessed further reduction by the fourth day. A resurgence to levels seen in the untroubled group characterized the fifth day. Initial escalation in D-dimer for SCC individuals reached about 7.81 times and 15.53 times above baseline on the first and second days, respectively (Figure 2B). In contrast, those with ameloblastoma presented a moderate rise in D-dimer levels post-surgery, achieving equivalence with the non-complicated group on day one. A gradual downward trajectory ensued through days two and three, with a fourth-day upturn, before a fifth-day fall-off to levels matching those without complications. The D-dimer levels in ameloblastoma patients were about 3.45 to 4.66 baseline multiples from the first to the third day, surging to roughly 8.31 times the baseline on day four (Figure 2B). The variability in post-surgical plasma D-dimer dynamics between ameloblastoma and SCC patients suggests a close link of these fluctuations with the pathological nature of the lesions.
Individual analysis of factors potentially linked to the escalated post-surgical plasma D-dimer levels revealed a significant correspondence with lesion pathology, with SCC showing notably greater increases compared to ameloblastoma, a difference proven statistically momentous (P < 0.05, Figures 2C and D). However, distinctions in D-dimer surges were not significantly related to either gender or systemic disease presence (Figures 2E-H). A substantial association was established between the rise in D-dimer concentrations and both patient age (P ≤ 0.001, Figures 2I, J) and the duration of the operation (P < 0.01, Figures 2K, L).
Postoperative alterations in D-dimer levels and their influencing factors in patients with complications
The study examined plasma D-dimer level changes within the first three days following surgery among different patient cohorts: those with an uneventful recovery, those who suffered thrombosis culminating in flap loss (Figure 3A, left side), and those who experienced a rejection of the titanium plate (Figure 3A, right side). Preoperative baseline D-dimer readings were relatively consistent across the groups and indicated minor variations, with the uneventful postoperative group showing levels at 0.47 mg/L, the thrombosis group at 0.27 mg/L, and the titanium plate rejection group at 0.40 mg/L (Figure 3A). Additionally, there were no statistically relevant age differences among the patient cohorts (Figure 3B). The data revealed that on the first postoperative day, patients afflicted with thrombosis that led to flap loss experienced a pronounced elevation in plasma D-dimer levels, markedly higher than those seen in patients who had a smooth postoperative course. These heightened levels subsided on the second and third days, eventually aligning with the levels observed in the complication-free group by the third day. Conversely, patients who rejected titanium plates demonstrated D-dimer levels and trajectories over the three-day post-surgery period that mirrored those observed in patients who had uneventful recoveries (Figures 3C and E).
A meticulous analysis was conducted focusing on the first postoperative day's plasma D-dimer levels among the three patient categories. The measurements from those patients who suffered titanium plate rejection (1.81 mg/L, 4.52 times above baseline) were found to be comparable to those of the patients with an uneventful postoperative trajectory (2.29 mg/L, 3.96 times above baseline). In stark contrast, the thrombosis group, which faced complications resulting in flap loss, displayed significantly elevated D-dimer values (3.75 mg/L, 13.84 times above baseline). These differences reached a level of statistical significance (P < 0.05, Figures 3D, F). The outcome of this analysis robustly suggests that plasma D-dimer levels, particularly those recorded on the initial day following surgery, can be significantly varied between patients who encounter thrombotic complications leading to flap loss and those with no postoperative issues. This insight underscores the promising utility of first-day post-surgical plasma D-dimer levels as an early biomarker for the detection of iliac graft thrombosis.
Predicting complications of vascularized iliac bone transplantation through a multifactor prediction model
While it is established that post-surgery thrombosis patients tend to exhibit elevated plasma D-dimer levels, it is imperative to recognize that such changes could also stem from a range of factors, including age, the nature of the pathology, and the duration of the surgery. To refine complication risk predictions, a composite predictive model was crafted. This incorporates a multivariate logistic regression analysis to scrutinize patient factors correlated with flap loss. The model factors in a variety of independent predictors for risk, such as surgical time, age, pathology type, the absolute and relative value of D-dimer, and gender. According to this model, the surgical time corresponds with a 0.90-fold rise in thrombosis risk (OR = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.22–1. 37, p = 0.016); age associates with a 0.01-fold increase in risk of thrombosis (OR = 0.01, 95% CI: -0.08–0.05, p = 0.667); the pathological type contributes a 0.30-fold increase (OR = 0.30, 95% CI: -0.15–0.75 p = 0.175); gender has a 2.79-fold increased risk of thrombosis (OR = 2.79, 95% CI: 0.84–5.33, p = 0.011); the absolute D-dimer value predicts a 0.15-fold increase in thrombosis risk (OR = 0.15, 95% CI: -0.18–0.45, p = 0. 289); and the relative D-dimer value shows a -0.02-fold increased risk of thrombosis (OR = -0.02, 95% CI: -0.13–0.07, p = 0.693, Figure 4A). A comprehensive model encapsulating various independent risk factors was formulated, yielding a nomogram for clinical use. This nomogram, with precise graphical utility, allows for the assessment of individual thrombosis risk in a straightforward manner. Practitioners can establish the score for each variable by drawing a perpendicular line from the respective risk factor value to the score axis, then tallying these to ascertain the total risk score. The probability of vein thrombosis is easily interpreted by aligning this cumulative score on the total points scale (Figure 4B). The performance of the nomogram was rigorously evaluated with two distinct sets of patient data—the training and the validation cohorts—reaching a diagnostic reliability represented by areas under the ROC curve (AUC=0.630, 0.600, 95% confidence interval: 0.452-0.807, 0.243-0.957), respectively (Figure 4C). This risk-scoring system reveals that individuals undergoing lengthier surgical procedures, those who are older in age, of the female sex, with certain pathological conditions such as squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and those registering higher absolute D-dimer figures tend to accumulate a greater risk score. This in turn indicates a higher propensity for a rise in postoperative plasma D-dimer levels, thereby suggesting a correspondingly increased likelihood of thrombotic events. Such a tool is instrumental in identifying patients at greater risk and implementing preventive strategies accordingly.