title: Free rectus abdominis musculocutaneous flap for head and neck reconstruction.
abstract: Surgery in the head and neck often results in large and complex tissue defects. The free rectus abdominis musculocutaneous flap has many advantages for reconstruction of these defects. A good volume of tissue can be harvested with a long and large-diameter vascular pedicle. A reliable blood supply enables thinning, shaping and molding of the flap, and it can be elevated with the patient in the supine position. The harvesting technique is easy with good visualization. The authors prefer this free flap for reconstructing relatively large defects in the head and neck, and have had experience with 55 cases, which were analyzed for results and complications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Osaka University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nishimoto
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kakibuchi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hosokawa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Urakawa
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hikasa
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tsukino
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Maeda
mesh_terms: D000009:Abdominal Muscles / Q000637:transplantation*; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006085:Graft Survival; D006257:Head / Q000601:surgery*; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009333:Neck / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000379:methods*