title: [Repair of face and upper limb defects with expanded delto-pectoral and abdominal perforator flaps].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the method and effectiveness of expanded delto-pectoral and abdominal perforator flaps in repairing large defects of the face and upper limb after scar excision.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between August 2000 and February 2011, 25 patients with large scars on face and upper limb were treated. There were 14 males and 11 females with an average age of 27 years (range, 7-36 years). Scars causes were burn and scald in 25 cases with a disease duration of 6 months to 7 years (mean, 4.5 years). The hypertrophic scars located at face in 15 cases, and at upper limb and hand in 10 cases. The soft tissue expanders (300-500 mL in volume) were implanted in the delto-pectoral zone and abdominal region in one-stage operation. In two-stage operation, after scars were resected, defects (9 cm x 7 cm to 17 cm x 8 cm) were repaired with the delto-pectoral perforator flaps (17 cm x 7 cm to 20 cm x 8 cm) in 15 facial scar cases and with the deep inferior epigastric artery perforator flaps (10 cm x 9 cm to 25 cm x 14 cm) in 10 upper limb and hand scar cases. The donor sites were sutured directly.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Partial necrosis of the flaps occurred in 2 cases after operation, then the flap survived after expectant treatment. The other flaps and skin grafts survived successfully, and the incisions healed by first intention. Ten patients were followed up 6 months to 4 years. The appearance, texture, and color of the flaps were similar to those at the donor site.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is an effective method to use the delto-pectoral perforator flap and the deep inferior epigastric artery perforator flap for repairing soft tissue defects of the face and upper limb after scar excision.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei Anhui, PR China.
authors.forename: Miaomiao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Chunlan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen / Q000601:surgery; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000601:surgery*; D005145:Face / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D061525:Perforator Flap; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D016038:Skin Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D019616:Thoracic Surgical Procedures; D015626:Tissue Expansion; D034941:Upper Extremity / Q000601:surgery; D055815:Young Adult