Abstract
Background: The latissimusdorsi muscle or myocutaneous flap is one of the most reliable and versatile flaps used in reconstructive surgery. It is known for its use in chest wall and post mastectomy reconstruction and has also been used effectively for coverage of large soft tissue defects in the head and neck and upper limb either as a pedicled flap or as a free flap. It has been described for reconstruction of hand and foot defects as microvascular flap and functional reconstruction of elbow in brachial plexus injuries. Aim: Evaluate its role in reconstruction of arm defects. Patient and Methods: Twenty three cases of pedicled Latissimus dorsi flaps for arm defects are enrolled into the study. The cause of the defect, the site and size of the defect, associated injuries and timing of flap cover are also noted. Observaion and Result: Out of 23 cases majority of defects are from trauma (19 cases) and rest from neoplastic resection (4 cases) all belonging to the age group of 15-45 years with defect size ranging from 10 × 15 cm 2 to 15 × 25 cm 2 . The average duration of follow up was 6 months to 1 year. All the flaps survived without partial loss. Six patients developed seroma at flap donor site which settled with multiple aspirations. Two patient developed hyper trophy at the borders at the donor site scar. Three patients had stretching of the scar. There were no other donor site complications at the flap or skin graft sites. All patients have cosmetically satisfactory result. Conclusion: Pedicled Latissimus dorsi muscle and musculocutaneous flap with a split thickness skin graft is the primary choice for reconstruction of large complex arm defects.
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More From: Journal of Orthopedics, Traumatology and Rehabilitation
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