title: Reconstruction of the extremity with the dorsal thoracic fascia free flap.
abstract: The dorsal thoracic fascia is the anatomic layer that contains the blood supply to the scapular and parascapular fasciocutaneous flaps. The cutaneous vascular territory of the circumflex scapular artery and its parascapular branches is well known. During the past 8 years, the authors have employed the dorsal thoracic fascia free flap for extremity reconstruction in 17 patients (upper extremity, n = 9; lower extremity, n = 8). The indications for using this free flap included primary coverage after trauma (n = 10), resurfacing of "unstable" scar (n = 3), coverage of plantar foot ulceration (n = 3), and coverage of an exposed lower extremity distal arterial bypass graft (n = 1). The large anatomic boundaries of this flap, the consistent vascular anatomy, and the thin yet durable quality of the tissue make this flap an excellent choice for the reconstruction of upper and lower extremity defects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, USA.
authors.forename: L B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Colen
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Pessa
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Potparic
authors.forename: W F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Reus
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001134:Arm Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D001158:Arteries / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000601:surgery; D002056:Burns / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000601:surgery; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000601:surgery; D017719:Diabetic Foot / Q000601:surgery; D005206:Fascia Lata / Q000098:blood supply / Q000637:transplantation*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006085:Graft Survival; D006406:Hematoma / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000098:blood supply; D007869:Leg Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012540:Scapula / Q000098:blood supply; D016038:Skin Transplantation / Q000379:methods / Q000473:pathology; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000098:blood supply; D013909:Thorax; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000601:surgery