Late necrosis of a latissimus dorsi free flap.
We report a case of a latissimus dorsi free-muscle transfer that received isolated blunt trauma to the vascular pedicle 7 months after surgery. There was complete necrosis of this muscle unit, confirmed by biopsy. The muscle was tangentially excised, and a skin graft was successfully laid on the tissue beneath the muscle. Although this is an isolated case report, it raises interesting questions concerning the revascularization of free-tissue transfers. It is possible that because of significant flow rates in a small segment of tissue there is limited stimulation for revascularization to develop. What role smoking plays in this clinical situation also remains to be determined.
D000328:Adult; D001415:Back; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D009132:Muscles / Q000473:pathology; D009336:Necrosis; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000150:complications