title: Free-flap free flap.
abstract: We present a patient who sustained bilateral below-knee amputations that were treated with skin grafts as initial coverage. A latissimus dorsi free flap was later used as definitive coverage of one stump. Then at a subsequent operation a portion of the same latissimus dorsi free flap was reharvested, again as a free flap, and transplanted to cover the contralateral stump. Thus one latissimus dorsi free flap was used twice as a free flap (free-flap free flap) to cover bilateral amputation stumps in sequential operations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, New York University Medical Center.
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Valauri
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Alpert
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Buncke
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000672:Amputation Stumps / Q000601:surgery*; D000673:Amputation, Traumatic / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007869:Leg Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D009132:Muscles / Q000637:transplantation; D012086:Reoperation; D013524:Surgical Flaps