title: Long-term results after muscle-rib flap transfer for reconstruction of composite limb defects.
abstract: The authors present the long-term results in a series of 44 cases with post-traumatic bone defects solved with muscle-rib flaps, between March 1997 and December 2007. In these cases, we performed 21 serratus anterior-rib flaps (SA-R), 10 latissimus dorsi-rib flaps (LD-R), and 13 LD-SA-R. The flaps were used in upper limb in 18 cases and in lower limb in 26 cases. With an overall immediate success rate of 95.4% (42 of 44 cases) and a primary bone union rate of 97.7% (43 of 44 cases), and despite the few partisans of this method, we consider that this procedure still remains very usefully for small and medium bone defects accompanied by large soft tissue defects.
authors.affiliation: University of Medicine Iuliu Hatieganu, Clinical Recovery Hospital, Clinic of Plastic Surgery and Reconstructive Microsurgery, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. geordv@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Alexandru V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Georgescu
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ignatiadis
authors.forename: Matei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ileana
authors.forename: Capota
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Irina
authors.forename: Ardelean
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Filip
authors.forename: Radu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Olariu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016025:Bone Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005121:Extremities / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D058752:Free Tissue Flaps; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D012272:Ribs / Q000637:transplantation*; D013978:Tibial Fractures / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult