title: Reconstruction of an extensive anterior skull base defect using a muscle-sparing rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap in a 1-year-old infant.
abstract: Despite the recent advances in microsurgical techniques, reconstruction of extensive skull base defects using free flaps in pediatric patients presents a surgical challenge, and reports on skull base reconstruction in infants is quite limited. We present a case of reconstruction of an extensive anterior skull base defect using a rectus abdominis (RA) myocutaneous flap in a 1 year-old (14 months) infant. Sufficient coverage of the intracranial contents, good aesthetic results, and minimal growth disturbance at the donor site were achieved by the muscle-sparing RA flap transfer. To the best of our knowledge, this was among the youngest case of skull base reconstruction using a free flap. The feasibility of free flap transfer and flap selection in pediatric skull base reconstruction is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan. tiida7ky@hotmail.co.jp
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Iida
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mihara
authors.forename: Hidehiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yoshimatsu
authors.forename: Hisako
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.forename: Isao
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Koshima
authors.forename: Kensuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawai
authors.forename: Tsukasa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsuchiya
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Asakage
mesh_terms: D058752:Free Tissue Flaps / Q000637:transplantation*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009918:Orbital Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D017568:Rectus Abdominis / Q000637:transplantation*; D018335:Rhabdoid Tumor / Q000601:surgery*; D019292:Skull Base Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*