As one of the perforator flaps reported firstly in China and universally recognized by international community, the anterolateral thigh (perforator) flap (ALTP) has been applied for over 30 years. The earliest anatomy research about it was conducted by Chinese scholars including Xu Dachuan, Luo Lisheng, etc., in 1983. The flap was reported after its clinical studies for the first time in 1984. The ALTP flap is mainly supplied with blood by the descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery (LCFA), and it belongs to the category of perforator flap based on its vascular anatomical characteristics. In light of the advantages of concealed donor site, long vascular pedicle, large calibers, less variation, owning sensory nerve, no sacrifice of the main vessels of the limbs and so on, the ALTP flap plays an important role in the clinical applications in various fields such as trauma, burns, plastic surgery, etc. It is also one of the main flaps clinically at present and is widely used in the reconstruction of various defects in the extremities and the body trunk, etc.