BACKGROUND When the required dimension of skin paddle of a pectoralis major musculocutaneous (PMMC) flap is very small, its survival often becomes questionable. We introduce a simple technique which enlarges the practical dimension of a very small skin paddle, leading to ensure the survival of a PMMC flap. METHOD AND RESULT A PMMC flap size of 1.5 × 4 cm was required for repair of leakage whi...

OBJECTIVE To discuss the various factors which cause the common skin flap complications after radical operation for breast cancer. METHODS Two hundred sixteen patients with T1-3N0-1M0 breast cancer underwent radical surgery at The Cancer Hospital of Xingtai City, China during 1995-2003. Patey mastectomy was performed in majority of patients. Skin flaps were dissected using scalpel after injec...

BACKGROUND We present the cases of 2 patients with invasive thyroid cancer, who underwent reconstructive surgery using a deltopectoral flap. Although the overall rate of extrathyroidal extension in patients with thyroid cancer is quite low, skin invasion is the most common pattern observed. Reconstructive surgery, involving local skin flaps, is required in these patients. The deltopectoral flap...

A subcutaneous pedicle ulnar flap used to cover a skin defect around the wrist is reported. Unlike the standard ulnar flap, which is isolated around the dorsal branch of the ulnar artery and its associated veins, this flap is based on the ascending branch of the dorsal branch of the ulnar artery more proximally to obtain a longer vascular pedicle. A subcutaneous pedicle flap that contained the ...

BACKGROUND Although there are many surgical treatments for covering the skin defect of the fore-mid foot, how to reconstruct the weight-bearing region remains a challenge. The weight-bearing region of the sole needs to withstand the pressure and shearing stresses of walking, so the plantar skin is anatomically different from other skins in the areas of texture, thickness, subcutaneous tissue, e...

Free osteocutaneous fibular grafts, revascularised by microvascular anastomoses, have been used for one-stage reconstruction of extensive bone and skin loss in the lower leg in seven patients. The addition of an integral skin flap to a vascularised fibular graft makes reconstruction of bone defects with significant skin loss possible, and the technique for designing and raising such a flap is p...

We present a case of an epithelioid sarcoma of the right groin in which wide resection resulted in a complex groin defect involving the full thickness of the abdominal wall and the perineum. We reconstructed the defect using a combination of pedicled anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap and gluteal fold flap. The functional and aesthetic results were satisfactory. The ALT flap with a robust iliotibia...

Flap transplantation has been an important procedure in plastic and reconstructive surgery to cover and fill various defects. Flap necrosis due to blood circulation failure leads to severe complications, especially in a patient undergoing reconstruction concerning the body cavity after tumor ablation. Surgical procedures for flap transplantation have been further improved and developed. We have...

OBJECTIVE To describe a technical modification that facilitates dorsal skin closure, improves cosmesis and eliminates chordee recurrence secondary to contracture of the dorsal penile skin in the repair of epispadias. PATIENTS AND METHODS Eleven patients with penopubic epispadias (mean age 1.8 years) had the epispadias repaired using a modified ventral penile skin flap. Four patients had isola...