Pedicled latissimus dorsi flap in reconstruction of large soft tissue defect around elbow: An efficacy evaluation / 中华显微外科杂志

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of pedicled latissimus dorsi flaps in reconstruction of large soft tissue defects around elbow.Methods:From January 2012 to January 2022, 12 patients with large soft tissue defects around elbow received reconstructive surgery with pedicled latissimus dorsi flaps in Department of Microreconstructive Surgery, The First Affliliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University. Partial latissimus dorsi flaps were employed to reconstruct The soft tissue defects around the posterolateral side of elbow in 6 patients. Functional reconstruction of anteromedial soft tissue defect around elbow with functional latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap combined with biceps muscle dynamic reconstruction was performed on other 6 patients. All patients were males and aged 18 to 57 years old, at 31.4 years old in average. Causes of injury: machine strangulation in 5 patients, traffic accident in 4 patients, machine crush in 2 patients, and fall from height in 1 patient. Injured sites: 5 patients had injury on right elbow and 7 on the left. The size of soft tissue defect ranged from 18.0 cm×10.0 cm to 51.0 cm×13.0 cm. The size of the flaps were at 30.0 cm×7.0 cm-55.0 cm×14.0 cm. The wounds at donor site were directly sutured. Follow-up included postoperative reviews via telephone, WeChat and visit to outpatient clinic. Mayo elbow performance scores(MEPS) at the last follow-up were recorded.Results:All 12 flaps survived, and all donor and recipient sites healed at stage I. The follow-ups lasted for 3 months to 2 years for all patients, with 18 months in average. Three months after operation, 1 patient underwent additional surgery for flap reduction due to a bloated flap and poor appearance. Six patients who received dynamic reconstruction myocutaneous flaps achieved grade IV in elbow flexion. Six patients with lateral elbow repaired with partial latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap showed that the appearance of the flap was not bulky and had no effect on the flexion and extension function of the elbow joint. All flaps survived well at the last follow-up, with soft texture and colour close to the surrounding normal skin. All donor sites healed well, leaving only linear scars. Motion of all elbows was good. The MEPS at the final follow-up was(90.6±6.4), with 10 patients in excellent and 2 in good.Conclusion:According to the location of elbow joint soft tissue defect, different types of latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flaps are used for reconstruction, which can achieve good clinical results.

Transplantation of lobulated free latissimus dorsi flap for repairing irregular soft tissue defect of shank / 中华显微外科杂志

To investigate the feasibility and clinical effects of lobulated free latissimus dorsi flap in repairing severe shank trauma with irregular soft tissue defect. Methods Eight patients with soft tissue defect of shank due to trauma were treated from February, 2013 to November, 2018, which were 5 males and 3 females. All wounds were irregular.The size of soft tissue defect ranged from 11.0 cm×15.0 cm to 15.0 cm×23.0 cm, with different degrees exposure of deep tissue such as bone and tendon. Five cases out of 8 were infected wound, 3 cases of which had internal fixation bracket exposed. Five infected wounds were firstly treated with negative pressure after debride-ment, then repaired with flap transplantation until the infection were completely controlled. Other wounds were re-paired directly after debridement. The free lobulated latissimus dorsi flap was designed and applied to repair the ir-regular soft tissue defect of shank.The lobulated latissimus dorsi flap with the outer branch of the thoracodorsal artery ranged from 14.0 cm×7.0 cm to 24.0 cm×8.5 cm.The lobulated latissimus dorsi flap with the inner branch of the tho-racodorsal artery ranged from 10.0 cm×5.0 cm to 15.0 cm×7.0 cm. When cutting the flap, the branch vessels should be protected to insure the continuity of the thoracodorsal artery. After spliced the 2 lobulated flaps, the thoracodorsal arteriovenous was anastomosed with the recipient region arteriovenous. All the donor sites were sutured directly. All patients were followed-up by outpatient and telephone regularly. Results Seven flaps survived well.Only 1 case of partial necrosis appeared at the distal edge of the lobulated flap and healed after wound care. All patients were fol-lowed-up from 3 to 30 months, averaged of 14 months. The texture of flap was flexible and the appearance was well. Only a linear scar was left in the donor site. The shoulder joint retained good mobility. Conclusion The lobulated latissimus dorsi flap has rich blood supply, concealed donor area and high survival rate after transplantation, which can flexibly repair the irregular soft tissue defect of the shank, and effectively prettify the appearance of the recipient area. This strategy has little effect on the appearance and function of the donor area, and worthy of promoting in clinic.

Efficacy comparison of immediate breast reconstruction after breast cancer surgery and modified radical mastectomy / 肿瘤研究与临床

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy and cosmetic outcome of two methods of immediate breast reconstruction and modified radical mastectomy for the patients with breast cancer after breast cancer surgery. Methods The clinical data of 95 patients with early breast cancer in the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinzhou Medical University from October 2014 to September 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into latissimus dorsi combined with implants group (27 cases), titanium-coated polypropylene mesh combined with implants group (18 cases) and modified radical group (50 cases). The differences of surgical data, postoperative complications and quality of life were compared in the three groups. The postoperative cosmetic effect of two immediate reconstruction groups was observed. Results The differences of drainage duration and intraoperative blood loss in the three groups were not statistically significant (both P > 0.05). There were statistical differences in the hospital stay and the postoperative quality of life score (both P < 0.01). The incidence of postoperative complications in latissimus dorsi combined with implants group, the titanium-coated polypropylene mesh combined with implants group and the modified radical group was 48.1％ (13/27), 22.2％ (4/18) and 12.0％ (6/50), respectively. And the difference between latissimus dorsi combined with implants group and the modified radical surgery group was statistically significant (χ 2 = 12.33, P < 0.01). The good rate of cosmetic effect in titanium-coated polypropylene mesh group was higher than that in latissimus dorsi combined with implants group, and there was no statistically significant difference [83.3％ (15/18) vs. 81.5％ (22/27), χ 2 = 0.025, P > 0.05]. Conclusions Immediate breast reconstruction including latissimus dorsi combined with implants or titanium-coated polypropylene mesh combined with implants after radical mastectomy on the basis of indications can improve the quality of life and the cosmetic results of patients, but postoperative treatment is necessary for the increased complications after the two reconstruction methods.

Two sequential free flaps for coverage of a total knee implant

Knee revision arthroplasty following peri-prosthetic joint infections is a formidable challenge. Patients are at a high risk of recurrent infection, and the soft tissue over the revised implant is often of questionable quality. Flap reconstruction has improved the salvage rates of infected arthroplasties, and should be considered in all cases of revision arthroplasty. We present a challenging case requiring staged reconstruction with two free latissimus dorsi flaps after the initial use of a medial gastrocnemius flap.

Breast reconstruction with latissimus dorsi flap combined with implant / 中华医学美学美容杂志

Objective To introduce our experience about the breast reconstruction using latissimus dorsi (LD) flap combined with breast implant.The details of the operative method were prescribed.Methods During the LD mycutaneous breast reconstruction,the insertion of LD was cut off and rotated to fulfil ipsilateral axillary fossa.The breast reconstruction was performed using LD and breast implant.Results 237 cases of breast reconstruction were performed from 1998 to 2017.The axillary contour deformity was successfully restored.The results were satisfied and stable during the follow-up.Conclusions Using proximal LD flap to repair axillary fossa deformity is a safe,effective and easy operating method in LD and implant flap breast reconstruction.

Application of vascular augmentation of an extra-long latissimus dorsi flap through an intercostal artery in limb wound repair / 中国修复重建外科杂志

Objective: To explore the clinical application of vascular augmentation of an extra-long latissimus dorsi flap through an intercostal artery in limb wound repair. Methods: Between January 2016 and December 2017, 5 patients with limb wounds were treated with the extra-long latissimus dorsi flaps. The vascular augmentation of the extra-long latissimus dorsi flap through the intercostal artery was applied during the operation. There were 4 males and 1 female, with an average age of 45.8 years (range, 43-59 years). The time from post-traumatic admission to flap repair was 7-25 days (mean, 12.3 days). The causes of injury included machine injury in 2 cases, traffic accident in 2 cases, and roller crush injury in 1 case. The wounds were located at the anterior of upper limb in 3 cases, the posterior of upper limb in 1 case, and the posterior of leg in 1 case. The size of wounds ranged from 26 cm×8 cm to 38 cm×10 cm. The size of the latissimus dorsi flap ranged from 36 cm×6 cm to 43 cm×7 cm. The size of the muscle flap ranged from 36 cm×10 cm to 43 cm×15 cm. The donor sites were closed directly. Results: The distal flap necrosis occurred in 1 case and healed after symptomatically treatment. The other flaps survived completely. The wounds and incisions at donor sites healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 8-18 months with an average of 14.9 months. At last follow-up, the flaps had satisfactory appearances, soft textures, and function of sweating. Conclusion: Application of vascular augmentation of the extra-long latissimus dorsi flap through the intercostal artery in repair of limb wound can reduce the incidence of distal flap necrosis and achieve satisfactory effectiveness.

Pectoralis majoris fascia combined with serratus anterior fatty fascia flap in immediate breast reconstruction / 中华内分泌外科杂志

Objective To study the application of pectoralis majoris fascia combined with serratus anterior fatty fascia flap in immediate breast reconstruction (IBR).Methods 40 patients with early breast cancer were divided into three groups according to indications and their own requirements.11 cases got implants combined with the pectoralis majoris fascia and the serratus anterior fatty fascia flap as a biological membrance,5 patients got latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap reconstruction,and 24 cases underwent simple mastectomy.The three groups underwent routine sentinel lymph node biopsy.The operation time,subcutaneous drainage volume,drainage time,discharge time,postoperative pain score,infection of incision and patients' satisfaction were compared between the three groups.Results The reconstruction that used implants with pectoralis majoris fascia and serratus anterior fatty fascia flap as a biological membrance had the shortest recovery time,and the least subcutaneous fluid,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).The difference of incision infection had no statistical significance (P＞0.05).The difference of postoperative pain score and satisfaction had no statistical significance between fascia group and altissimo doris group (P＞0.05).Conclusion The technique of the prosthetic reconstruction of the pectoralis majoris fascia combined with the serratus anterior fatty fascia flap as a biological membrance is simple and safe,with small trauma,quick recovery and high patients' satisfaction,and can be widely used in clinical practice.

The value of different surgical methods in the repair of huge chest wall defect after breast malignant tumor operation / 中华内分泌外科杂志

Objective To evaluate the value of different surgical methods in the repair of huge chest wall defect after breast malignant tumor operation.Methods The clinical data of 22 patients with chest wall defect after chest operation were retrospectively analyzed.All patients received one-stage repair for the chest wall defect with different surgical methods.Of the patients,9 cases got repair with latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap,4 cases received repairment with internal mammary perforator flap of contralateral breast,and the others received dermatoplasty.Results All the 22 cases were successfully repaired.Two cases of dermatoplasty got mild edema who was healed after acitive dressing change.No one got effusion,infection or necrosis.No recurrence or distant metastasis happened except one case of liver metastasis in the follow-up of 6 to 24 months.Conclusions Application of different surgical methods in repair for the chest wall defect can improve patients' life quality.It is easy,safe and effective.We should choose the most suitable surgical method according to individual situation.

Breast reconstruction in low resource settings: Autologous latissimus dorsi flap provides a viable option.

BACKGROUND: Breast reconstruction (BR) plays a significant role in the woman’s physical, emotional and psychological recovery from breast cancer. However, the current most accepted methods of reconstruction are expensive, may require microsurgical skills and can be offered to a very small number of patients seeking treatment in tertiary care centers. For the large majority of women seeking treatment in public hospitals, solution lies in finding a method of reconstruction, which is autologous, produces a reasonable match to the contralateral breast in size, shape and symmetry and produces minimal donor site morbidity. It should also be a technique, which is cost effective and can withstand the effects of radiotherapy (RT). The autologous latissimus dorsi (LD) flap is one such versatile technique, which can serve as an ideal reconstructive option for the majority of patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: During a period of 6 years, 19 patients underwent immediate BR using this flap in the Department of General Surgery. Patients who were young (mean age 37.4 years), had small to medium sized breasts, with operable breast cancer (Stage II and IIIa) were selected for the procedure. RESULTS: Satisfactory cosmetic results as rated by patients as well as surgeons were achieved in the majority. Donor site morbidities were seroma formation (78%) and donor site wound breakdown (21%). Post‑operative RT was well‑tolerated by the reconstructed breast. CONCLUSION: Autologous LD flap reconstruction is a safe and economical option for BR in low resource settings and is suitable for women with small and medium sized breasts.

Auto-expansão da pele em reconstrução mamária tardia com retalhos sem expansor: um novo conceito / Auto skin expansion in delayed breast reconstruction using flaps without expander: a new concept

Introdução: O objetivo deste estudo foi de compartilhar experiência de 10 anos com um novo conceito para reconstrução mamária autóloga utilizando retalhos desepitelizados pediculados para obter expansão de tecido sem o uso de expansores alogênicos. Metódos: Estudo retrospectivo de pacientes submetidos a reconstrução com retalho toracodorsal desepitelizado (uma combinação de musculocutâneo de latíssimo do dorso com extensão facio cutânea torácica), retalho latíssimo do dorso desepitelizado ou retalho TRAM desepitelizado. Todos os retalhos foram acomodados sob a pele onde foi realizada a mastectomia, não foram utilizadas placas de pele em nenhum dos casos. Resultados: O total de 208 pacientes incluindo 137 retalhos toracodorsal, 60 retalhos TRAM e 11 retalhos latíssimo do dorso desepitelizado foram utilizados pelo cirurgião sênior. O tempo médio da cirurgia foi de 90 minutos, 120 minutos e 140 minutos para retalhos latíssimo do dorso desepitelizados, toracodorsal, e TRAM, respectivamente. A média de seguimento foi de 4 anos, variando de 1 a 10 anos. Apesar de perda completo de retalho não ter sido relatada, a necrose gordurosa foi encontrado em 12% dos retalhos de TRAM. A expansão de tecido sem a necessidade de expansor alôgenico ou implantes foi obtido em todos os pacientes; a expansão sob a mama não irradiada ocorreu em 3 meses seguido da reconstrução, enquanto a expansão sob a mama irradiada ocorreu gradualmente ao longo de 5 meses após a reconstrução. A média do tamanho da mama obtida foi o molde C. Secundário aos procedimentos incluindo a lipofilling (20%), a remodelagem da mama contralateral foi necessária em 93% dos casos. Conclusão: Nos casos selecionados, a expansão do tecido da pele onde foi realizada mastectomia pode ser obtida somente com uso de tecido autólogo sem a necessidade de expansores de pele. O método disponibiliza um novo conceito em reconstrução de mama autóloga evitando assim o uso de material prostético.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to share the authors 10 year experience with a new concept in autologous delayed breast reconstruction using deepithelialized pedicled flaps in order to achieve tissue expansion without the use of allogenic expanders. Methods: A retrospective analysis of all the patients who underwent deepithelialized thoracodorsal flap (a combination of a musculocutaneous LD with a thoracic fasciocutaneous extension), deepithelialized latissimus dorsi flap or deepithelialized TRAM flap reconstruction between 1999 and 2009 was performed. All the flaps were buried under the mastectomy skin and no skin paddles were used in any of the cases. Results: A total of 208 patients including 137 thoracodorsal, 60 TRAM and 11 deepithelialized Latissimus dorsi flaps were performed by the senior surgeon. The average operative time was 90 minutes, 120 minutes and 140 minutes for the deepithelialized Latissimus dorsi, thoracodorsal and TRAM flaps respectively. The mean follow-up period was 4 years, ranging from 1 to 10 years. Although no complete flap loss was reported, fat necrosis was found in 12% of TRAM flaps. Tissue expansion without the need of allogenic expanders or implants was achieved in all the patients; expansion under the non irradiated breast occurred over the 3 months following reconstruction, where as that under irradiated breasts occurred gradually over the 5 months following reconstruction. The average breast size obtained was cup C. Secondary procedures included lipofilling (20%), contralateral breast remodeling was done in 93% of the cases. Conclusion: In selected cases, tissue expansion of mastectomy skin can be solely achieved by autologous tissue without the need to skin expanders. This method provides a new concept in autologous breast reconstruction circumventing the use of prosthetic material.

Feasibility of Use of a Barbed Suture (V-Loc 180) for Quilting the Donor Site in Latissimus Dorsi Myocutaneous Flap Breast Reconstruction

BACKGROUND: Latissimus dorsi (LD) myocutaneous flap is a popular method of breast reconstruction which can be associated with high incidence of seroma formation. Quilting sutures at the harvest site are used to reduce this. Barbed sutures are self anchoring sutures which avoid multiple knotting and can be useful in quilting. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of prospectively maintained database of patients who underwent LD flap breast reconstruction between January 2009 and January 2011 was carried out. Seroma formation at the harvest site, wound related complications, inpatient stay and duration of surgery were analysed and a comparison was made between two groups where quilting was done with barbed (V-Loc) suture and conventional polydioxanone (PDS) II sutures. RESULTS: Fifty-seven patients were included of which 33 had quilting by V-Loc sutures and in 24 patients PDS II suture was used. Median age in the PDS group was 55 years (interquartile range [IQR)], 45 to 61 years) which was comparable to the V-Loc group (53 years [IQR, 48 to 59 years]; P-value 0.948). Sixteen patients (28%) had significant seroma formation and 5 (9%) patients developed superficial wound dehiscence. Incidences of seroma or wound complications were comparable (P-value 0.378 and 1.00, respectively). Secondary outcomes such as total duration of surgery, total inpatient stay, total amount of drain at the donor site were also similar in two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Use of barbed sutures for quilting the donor site in LD flap reconstruction is a feasible option and the associated seroma formation and wound complications are comparable with conventional sutures.

Reconstruction of Scalp and Calvarial Defects Using Latissimus Dorsi Myocutaneous Free Flap

PURPOSE: Reconstruction of scalp and calvarial defects should provide both aesthetic and functional aspects. The inelastic nature of the scalp and previous surgery or radiation preclude the use of primary closure or a local flap. With development of microsurgical technique, a free tissue transfer is a good option. We use the latissimus dorsi myocutaneous free flap for reconstruction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A review of all latissimus dorsi free flap reconstructions performed in nine patients from 2009 to 2012 was conducted. There were six males and three females, ranging in age from seven to 69 years, and nine different regions, including five temporal regions, two occipital regions, and two frontoparietal regions. The flaps ranged in size from 9.0x10.0 cm to 14.0x15.0 cm. Recipient vessels available for microanastomosis were most often the superficial temporal vessels and two patients had anastomoses to the external carotid artery and internal jugular vein. RESULTS: All flaps survived postoperatively. With a median follow-up period of 14 months, no major complications were noted. However, two patients developed minor wound dehiscence, and a hematoma was observed in one patient. CONCLUSION: We performed the latissimus dorsi myocutaneous free flap reconstruction, which is one of the most popular reconstructive methods. The latissimus dorsi myocutaneous free flap reconstruction has been proven successful in our patients with satisfactory results. During the long term follow-up period, even though depressions were observed on the defect area in some patients, they were treated successfully with cranioplasty. Therefore, we recommend the latissimus dorsi myocutaneous free flap for reconstruction of scalp and calvarial defects.

Complications of breast reconstruction with pedicled TRAM and LDF: a Meta analysis / 中华医学美学美容杂志

Objective To analyze the complications of breast reconstruction with pedicled transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap (TRAM flap) and latissimus dorsi flap (LDF).Methods From databases such as CNKI,SinoMed,PubMed,VIP and Cochrane Library and manual search of articles on breast reconstruction with pedicled TRAM and LDF from 1992 to 2002 for the language of both Chinese and English,1493 cases were collected.47 cases were selected after they all were inspected by the excluded and included standards.RevMan 5.0 software was used to perform the Mantele-Haenszel fixed effect model.Results Ten studies reporting outcomes of pedicled TRAM and LDF were used to estimate relative risk (RR) and 95 ％ confidence interval (CI) for complications.There was a 1.7 times increase in the risk of partial flap necrosis (relative risk,1.72; 95 ％ CI,1.02to 2.88) in pedicled TRAM flap patients compared with LDF patients.There was no difference in the risk for fat necrosis (relative risk,1.01; 95 ％ CI,0.60 to 1.72) and total flap loss (relative risk,2.13; 95 ％ CI,0.82 to 5.54) between pedicled TRAM flap and LDF patients (P＞0.05).Conclusions Compared with the pedicled TRAM flap,partial flap loss risk of breast reconstruction with LDF is lower,and the risk of fat necrosis and total flap loss have no statistical difference (P＞0.05).

Six Cases of Reconstruction with Latissimus Dorsi Pedicled Flap for Head and Neck Defects in the Era of Free Flap Reconstruction / 대한이비인후과학회지

Reconstruction with free flaps has become the choice of reconstruction for most patients with head and neck defects. However, pedicled flaps, such as pectoralis major pedicled flap and latissimus dorsi pedicled flap (LDPF), can also be used instead in selected patients. We performed LDPFs in 6 patients from November 2007 to September 2009. Five of the patients were females with either vascular diseases or large skin defects, or they were highrisk old patients. One male patient received LDPF as a salvage after tongue reconstruction with a free flap failed. Various types of head and neck defects were effectively managed with LDPF without complications. LDPF can be one option for head and neck reconstruction especially in patients who may hve high risk in undergoing free flap reconstruction.

A comparison of cervical epidural analgesia and intravenous patient-controlled analgesia after mastectomy with immediate latissimus dorsi flap breast reconstruction / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: Breast reconstruction following mastectomy has become increasingly popular in recent years. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of cervical epidural patient-controlled analgesia (CEA) and intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (IV-PCA) for controlling the postoperative pain and the side effects after mastectomy with immediate Latissimus dorsi (LD) flap breast reconstruction. METHODS: Sixty patients who were to undergo mastectomy with immediate LD flap breast reconstruction were randomly assigned to receive CEA [Group CEA, (n = 30), 0.15% ropivacaine + fentanyl 4 microg/ml] or IV-PCA [Group IV-PCA (n = 30) fentanyl 20 microg/kg + ketorolac 3 mg/kg] for postoperative pain control via a PCA pump (basal rate: 2 ml/h, bolus: 2 ml, lock out interval: 15 min) after their operation. Before general anesthesia, an epidural catheter was inserted at the cervical (C)7-thoracic (T)1 level in the patients of the CEA group. The resting visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, the systolic blood pressure, the heart rate and the side effects were recorded for 48 hours after operation. RESULTS: The VAS at rest was significantly lower in the CEA group than that in the IV-PCA group at 16 hours after surgery. The CEA group required less additional analgesics as compared with the group IV- PCA. There were no significant differences in the systolic blood pressure, the heart rate and the incidence of side effects between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that cervical epidural analgesia, as compared with intravenous patient-controlled analgesia, provides effective pain control and it shows a similar incidence of side effects after mastectomy with immediate LD flap breast reconstruction.

Effect of Fibrin Sealant in Extended Lattisimus Dorsi Flap Donor Site: Retrospective Study

PURPOSE: Donor site seroma is the most common complication of extended latissimus dorsi flap for breast reconstruction. One of preventive treatments is to use the fibrin sealant in donor site before closure. Experimentally, it has been used successfully in the prevention of latissimus donor site seroma, but its clinical efficacy and results were very controversial. Thus, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical efficacy and to determine the optimal dose of fibrin sealant. METHODS: A retrospective study was done of patients operated under same surgical conditions by one operator with variable doses of fibrin sealant. The study group consisted of 60 consecutive patients who underwent breast reconstruction with extended latissimus flap reconstructions from January 2005 to December 2006. Patients were divided into 4 group by applied fibrin sealant amount(group 1=0mL, group 2=1mL, group 3=2mL, group 4=4mL). Retrospective data were obtained from total postoperative drainage amount, time from surgery to drain removal, and incidence and quantity of seroma formation in matched patients group. RESULTS: Total drainage amount decreased relative to the amount of fibrin sealant. The seroma formation rate of 30% in the study group 4 was significantly less than group 1 rate of 71%(p<0.05). It was an improvement over the rates of as much as 79% described previously in the literature. Also, time from surgery to drain removal was shortened significantly in group 4 patients (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The use of fibrin sealant in the extended latissimus dorsi flap donor site appears effective in preventing seroma. However, important factors to obtain lower seroma formation rates are proper techniques and proper amounts such as the authors suggested amount: 0.01mL/cm2 with spray type fibrin sealant.

Application of Extended Latissimus Dorsi Flap in Immediate Breast Reconstruction after Modified Radical Mastectomy / 中国普外基础与临床杂志

Objective To evaluate the value of extended latissimus dorsi flap (ELDF) in immediate breast reconstruction in patients with breast cancer after modified radical mastectomy.Methods Thirty-six patients with breast cancer who accepted modified radical mastectomy and 12 patients with breast cancer who accepted immediate breast reconstruction after modified radical mastectomy from January 2008 to June 2009 were included.The complications,cosmetical results and quality of life of these patients were compared.The shape of breast reconstruction was also evaluated.Results All of 12 patients succeeded in proceeding immediate breast reconstruction with ELDF.The evaluation of shape of breast reconstruction was good in 6 cases,secondary in 4 cases,and bad in 2 cases,which was beyond that in patients of radical operation group (P0.05).The patients in breast reconstruction group had a better quality of life compared with the patients in radical operation group (P

Breast Reconstruction with the Extended Latissimus Dorsi Musculocutancous Flap

Breast cancer patients who underwent mastectomy often experience stress, depression from body changes and loss of femininity. Choice of surgical method is important, because Korean women tend to be sensitive to the shape of the reconstructed breast, donor site scars and the changes in body contour. The latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap was one of the first methods of breast reconstruction. However, due to lack of volume, the latissimus dorsi flap has become a secondary choice for breast reconstruction. The authors evaluated the clinical cases who underwent breast reconstruction with the extended latissimus dorsi flaps at the authors' institution from March 2002 to February 2005. During the period, 87 cases of breast reconstruction with the extended latissimus dorsi flap were performed in 86 patients. All flaps survived completely. There occurred no partial necrosis and fat necrosis. The extended latissimus dorsi flap alone without implant could provide good to excellent autologous breast reconstruction for small to moderate sized breasts. Free TRAM flap is currently considered the "Gold standard" in autogenous breast reconstruction. But, the extended latissimus dorsi flap without implant could provide sufficient volume for breast reconstruction in selected cases and it is a reliable method for autologous breast reconstruction.

Selection Flaps in Chest Wall Reconstruction after Open Drainage for Empyema

The purpose of reconstruction of chest wall defect after open drainage in chronic empyema is the control and prevention of recurrent infection, obliteration of dead space in thoracic cavity, and coverage of open wound. For the obliteration of empyema cavities, latissimus dorsi, pectoralis major or rectus abdominis flaps are commonly used. Among them, latissimus dorsi flap based on thoracodorsal pedicle is most versatile and most reliable. If the latissimus dorsi flap can not be used, the author uses pectoralis major flap or rectus abdominis flap depending on the location and the size of dead space and skin defect. The author reports the results of eight patients who underwent reconstruction of chest wall defect with bronchopleural fistula in empyema using muscle flaps. The author performed 4 latissimus dorsi flaps, 3 pectoralis major flaps, 1 rectus abdominis flap according to various situations. According to the size of dead space and skin defect, the author also performed deepithelized musculocutaneous flap, musculocutaneous flap or muscle flap respectively. During the follow-up period, recurrence of empyema, flap survival, morbidity of donor site and patient's satisfaction were evaluated. There was no recurrence of empyema or wound complication. Also, patients were satisfied with the results of operation. The results demonstrate reliability of various muscle flaps and author's method in selection of reconstruction flap for the chest wall defect after open drainage in empyema.

A Combined Scapular Flap and Latissimus Dorsi Flap / 대한정형외과학회잡지

The treatment of extensive soft tissue injury of lower extremities is known to be one difficulty in the field of orthopedic surgery. At present, reconstructive surgery with free flap is being employed under the microscopy actively. But the size of defect is found larger than the maximum size of one free flap frequently. The authors present 6 cases of a combined scapular flap and latissimus dorsi flap for extensive soft tissue injury of the lower extremities at the department of orthopedic surgery of Severance hospital, during years period from 1983 to 1985. The results of the study are as follow: l. A one stage reconstruction of extensive soft tissue injury was done with a combined scapular flap and latissimus dorsi flap. 2. In spite ofa few complications of donor and recipient sites, the advantage of combined scapular flap and latissimus dorsi flap exceed the any methods that have been employed in functional and plastic aspects. 3. There was no limitation of motion of the shoulder in spite of the excision of the large combined scapular flap and latissimus dorsi flap around the axillary area. 4. The primary closure of the donor sites was feasible. 5. The reconstructive surgery of the extensive soft tissue injury using the above combined scapular flap and latissimus dorsi flap can be used without restriction as to the age of the patient.