The reading man flap for closure of large meningomyelocele defects

Abstract

Closure of the skin defect in myelomeningocele repair is an essential step that determines the quality of the surgical result. In large myelomeningoceles, however, adequate skin coverage may not be accomplished by direct closure or skin undermining. In such cases, the skin defect is best repaired using flaps. The aim of this study is to evaluate the reading man procedure for closure of large meningomyelocele defect. In this procedure, after neurosurgical repair and closure of the placode, the defect surgically becomes a circle in shape. Then, the circular defect is closed by transposition of two skin flaps designed in an unequal Z-plasty manner. Over 5 years, the reading man procedure was used for closure of large meningomyelocele defects in seven patients (four females and three males), aged between 1.5 and 6 months. The defect size was 10.5×7.25 cm (8.5×5.3 and 12.6×9.5 cm) on average. The localisation of the lesions was thoracolumbar in two patients and lumbosacral in five patients. In all patients, a successful tension-free one-stage closure was obtained without dog-ear formation. Except for one patient with minimal tip necrosis, healing was uneventful without any complications. There was no patient with late breakdown of the wound during 1.5 years (8 months-4 years) of mean follow-up. The reading man procedure enables the surgeon to achieve a tension-free defect closure of considerably large meningomyeleocele defects. Using two well-vascularised fasciocutaneous flaps, it provides a durable coverage and soft tissue padding over the neural tissues with no suture seam at midline. With these advantages, the Reading Man Procedure seems to be a useful and safe alternative for closure of large meningomyelocele defects.