Propeller Flap and Central Axis Flap Methods

Abstract

Extensively burned patients often lack ample healthy skin for skin grafts. We have developed a method for using several novel flaps composed of healthy skin left around recipient sites. In 1991, Hyakusoku et al. [1] presented a propeller flap with a subcutaneous pedicle. The original propeller flap has been used in intact fossa to reconstruct the axilla or cubitus. The flaps are designed in the center of the fossa and were elevated as island flaps. Hyakusoku et al. indicated that perforating vessels are often constant in their pedicles [1]. After this report, some improvements that were made on the methods have been reported such as the multilobed propeller flap [2], and scar band rotation flap [3]. A subcutaneous pedicle is under the center of every flap; thus, these methods were categorized as “central axis flap methods” [4]. Nowadays, subcutaneous pedicle has been refined and vascular (perforator) pedicle propeller (PPP) flaps [5] are in wide-spread use. This PPP flap is introduced in another chapter of this book.