title: Emergency surgical repair of extensive soft-tissue defects in upper limb of a child, using flap graft.
abstract: Extensive soft-tissue defects in the upper limb of a child are rare, and emergency surgical repair presents a challenge to the clinician and requires high proficiency in operating skills. The use of common regular flaps fails to completely cover the trauma. We report on a case in which the skin defect, reaching 42 x 15 cm, was repaired by the use of a scapula latissimus dorsi musculo-cutaneous flap, and the functions of the affected limb were maintained to the utmost extent. Thus the patient has escaped amputation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Traumatology and Orthopedic Surgery, Nanfang Hospital, First Military Medical University, Guangzhou, China. horse0510@163.com
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Tan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Xiongjin
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guofen
mesh_terms: D001134:Arm Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D002648:Child; D004630:Emergencies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017695:Soft Tissue Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D014945:Wound Healing