title: Soft-tissue coverage of olecranon with musculocutaneous flexor carpi ulnaris flap.
abstract: Coverage of the olecranon area is always challenging in traumatology. Because of the superficial situation of the bone, the absence of muscle, the thinness of the skin and the subcutaneous tissue locally, skin defects are not uncommon and can lead to exposure of hardware or prostheses. We report an original surgical technique using a musculocutaneous flap from the flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU) with a proximal pedicle to cover the olecranon area, detailing its limits and indications. The FCU flap has become our first-choice procedure to cover olecranon skin defects because of its low morbidity, its reliability, and its straightforward procedure, obviating the need for any microsurgery technique. Furthermore, it allows moving the elbow, immediately decreasing the risk of elbow stiffness.
authors.affiliation: Unité de chirurgie réparatrice des membres, Institut de l'appareil locomoteur, CHU de Toulouse, place Baylac, 31059 Toulouse cedex, France. Electronic address: andre.a@chu-toulouse.fr.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Andre
authors.affiliation: Unité de chirurgie réparatrice des membres, Institut de l'appareil locomoteur, CHU de Toulouse, place Baylac, 31059 Toulouse cedex, France.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bonnevialle
authors.affiliation: Unité de chirurgie réparatrice des membres, Institut de l'appareil locomoteur, CHU de Toulouse, place Baylac, 31059 Toulouse cedex, France.
authors.forename: J-L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Grolleau
authors.affiliation: Unité de chirurgie réparatrice des membres, Institut de l'appareil locomoteur, CHU de Toulouse, place Baylac, 31059 Toulouse cedex, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mansat
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004551:Elbow Joint / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005542:Forearm / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D056740:Olecranon Process / Q000601:surgery*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D017695:Soft Tissue Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D013524:Surgical Flaps
keywords: Flap coverage; Flexor carpi ulnaris muscle; Olecranon; Soft-tissue defect