Occasions for multiple flaps in lower-limb reconstructions: once is sometimes not enough.
A retrospective review of 11 patients with complex and massive lower-limb defects requiring multiple transfers and/or regional muscle flaps for closure, found that microvascular transfers achieved final wound closure, either alone or in concert with local flaps, in all but one case. A local flap alone was not sufficient for any failed transfer reconstruction. This suggested that transfers are not only the best initial approach for massive lower-extremity defects, but they are sometimes the only solution available in complex lower-limb reconstruction, often when other options have failed.
Isenberg
J S
JS
Midwest City Regional Medical Center, Oklahoma, USA.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007869:Leg Injuries / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009336:Necrosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000473:pathology