Abstract
Soft tissue deficiency in the upper limb is a common presentation following trauma, burns infection and tumour removal. Soft tissue coverage of the upper limb is a challenging problem for reconstructive surgeons to manage. The ultimate choice of soft tissue coverage will depend on the size and site of the wound, complexity of the injury, status of surrounding tissue, exposure of the vital structures and health status of the patient. There are several local cutaneous flaps that provide adequate soft tissue coverage for small sized defects of the hand, forearm and arm. When these flaps are limited in their mobility regional flaps and free flaps can be utilised. Free tissue transfer provides vascularised soft tissue coverage in addition to the transfer of bone, nerve and tendons. Careful consideration of free flap choice, meticulous intraoperative dissection and elevation accompanied by post-operative physiotherapy are required for successful outcomes for the patient. Several free flaps are available for reconstruction in the upper limb including the groin flap, anterolateral flap, radial forearm flap, lateral arm flap and scapular flap. In this review we will provide local, regional and free flap choice options for upper limb reconstruction, highlighting the benefits and challenges of different approaches.
Highlights
Soft tissue replacement in the upper limb is a common challenge presented to surgeons following burns, tumour resection, infection and trauma
The mechanism, time, location and extent of soft tissue injury, severity of contamination, nature of the structure exposed and expected outcomes of spontaneous healing of the defect will dictate the soft tissue reconstruction options used in the upper limb [1]
We aim to provide a summary of currently used soft tissue reconstruction flap options for the upper limb
Summary
Soft tissue replacement in the upper limb is a common challenge presented to surgeons following burns, tumour resection, infection and trauma. There are several options for soft tissue reconstruction in the upper extremity including skin grafting, local flaps, regional flaps and free flaps [1]. The mechanism, time, location and extent of soft tissue injury, severity of contamination, nature of the structure exposed and expected outcomes of spontaneous healing of the defect will dictate the soft tissue reconstruction options used in the upper limb [1]. Successful soft tissue coverage requires removal of all necrotic tissue, control of contamination and confirmation of a good blood supply [2, 3]. Soft tissue restoration will take place as early as possible to prevent wound infection and allow earlier patient recovery and rehabilitation [4,5,6]
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