title: Latissimus dorsi flap coverage of soft tissue defect following below-knee amputation: emphasis on flap design and recipient vessels.
abstract: High-energy trauma to the lower extremity often results in amputation of the limb. For maximal preservation of limb length during amputation, free tissue transfer is often necessary. In this study, we report our experience of stump coverage using latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flaps with an emphasis on flap design and recipient vessels. Between January 2005 and September 2010, twelve patients with severe traumatic injuries to the lower leg underwent below-knee amputations with stump coverage using latissimus dorsi free flaps. The primary and secondary cases were approached differently regarding the flap design and recipient vessels. All flaps survived completely. There were 8 primary cases and 4 secondary cases. In the primary cases, the anterior tibial artery was used as the recipient vessel in 6 cases, and in 2 cases, the descending geniculate artery was used. In the secondary cases, the descending geniculate artery was used in all cases. There were two cases of ulceration on the grafted non-weight-bearing site, but after the usage of collagen-elastin artificial dermis, no ulcerations were seen. The latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap is the most feasible option for coverage of amputation stumps. In flap design, the width of the skin paddle must match the anteroposterior diameter of the defect at the stump. The latissimus dorsi muscle must sufficiently wrap the bony stump for padding. We recommend using the anterior tibial artery as a recipient vessel in primary cases, and the descending geniculate artery in secondary cases.
authors: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea.
authors: Youn Hwan
authors: YH
authors: Kim
authors: Seungki
authors: S
authors: Youn
authors: Il Hoon
authors: IH
authors: Sung
authors: Jeong Tae
authors: JT
authors: Kim
authors: Kyu Tae
authors: KT
authors: Hwang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000671:Amputation, Surgical / Q000379:methods; D000672:Amputation Stumps / Q000098:blood supply / Q000601:surgery*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D007869:Leg Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D017695:Soft Tissue Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D064171:Superficial Back Muscles / Q000098:blood supply / Q000637:transplantation*; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000098:blood supply*; D016909:Tibial Arteries / Q000637:transplantation*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult