Extended Latissimus Dorsi Myocutaneous Flap Research Articles

Breast Reconstruction Without an Implant

The results of 55 breast reconstructions using an extended latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap without an implant are reported. A method for preoperatively estimating the flap volume, operative details, and a technique for insetting the flap are reviewed. Good, fair, and poor results were achieved in 69, 24, and 7 percent of patients, respectively. Examples are illustrated. The poor results were all due to major complications and are analyzed in detail. Significant complications affecting the end result occurred in 14.5 percent of patients, and nonsignificant and minor complications occurred in 33 percent. Flap volume is shown to be fairly accurately predictable. Seventy percent of flaps had a volume in excess of 400 cc. The reconstructed volume, cosmetic results, and complication rates are compared with those of other reported series. Good results can be achieved with this method, quite comparable to other methods, and with similar complication rates, but without the problems associated with the use of a prosthetic implant.

Post-mastectomy breast reconstruction: the soft tissue alternative.

The available methods of soft tissue reconstruction of the breast are described. They are usually preferable to the use of a prosthesis. For unilateral reconstruction the appropriate method depends on the age of the patient and the size of the breast. In an elderly patient with large breast, a two-stage breast-sharing procedure is advocated. In a young patient with a small breast, an extended latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap provides a suitable reconstruction. In a middle-aged woman with a breast of moderate size and an adequate amount of abdominal subcutaneous tissue, the most appropriate method of reconstruction is a rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap. For bilateral reconstruction where the consistency is less important, a prosthesis, with or without a latissimus dorsi flap for cover, is the method of first choice.

Extended latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap reconstruction of major head and neck defects.

The purpose of this article is to familiarize th surgeon with the latissimus dorsi flap and some particularly useful applications of it. This flap has proved extremely versatile, with many uses, among them immediate coverage for extensive head and neck wounds. It has been equally successful in repairing defects in both normal and irradiated tissue. The range of the arc of utilization has been exceptional, easily reaching the skull vertex from the chest wall. However, to be able to extend this flap so far requires careful dissection of the neurovascular pedicle and intimate anatomic knowledge of the posterior axilla region. This flap's muscle bulk is quite acceptable and the donor site may almost always be closed primarily. There appears to be less functional disability from sacrifice of this muscle than with pectoralis or trapezius myocutaneous flaps. Accordingly, it is ideal when much tissue is needed for single-stage coverage. Additional uses are available when flaps from other sites have failed.