Colgajo radial: experiencia del equipo de cirugía plástica de la Universidad de Chile / Radial forearm flaps: experience in ten patients

Background: Radial forearm flap is extraordinarily versatile thanks to its irrigation by the radial artery and its minor pedicles. It provides assorted alternatives for the reconstruction of proximal or distal defects of the arm and can be used as a free flap in head, neck, posterior trunk region, lower limb, esophagus and penis. It allows the incorporation of bone, tendons, nerves and muscle for complex lesion repair. Aim: To report our experience with radial forearm flap. Patients and Methods: Ten patients aged 20 to 65 years (four women) are reported. The lesions repaired were traumatic in four, infectious in three, secondary to tumors in two (a squamous intra oral adenocarcinoma in both patients) and vascular in one patient. Results: No patient had a partial or total loss of the flap. Five patients required complementary dermo epidermic grafts in a second intervention. Mean hospital stay was 30 days. All patients reported a favorable degree of satisfaction with the procedure. Conclusions: Radial forearm flaps are a good alternative for the repair of a great variety of lesions.

El colgajo radial, es un colgajo fasciocutáneo tipo II según Mathes y Nahai, de gran versatilidad gracias a su irrigación principal por la arteria radial y a sus pedículos menores, ofrece una amplia variedad de alternativas frente a la reconstrucción no sólo de defectos proximales o distales del brazo, sino que también es posible utilizarlo como colgajo libre en defectos de cabeza y cuello, porción posterior del tronco, extremidad inferior y reconstrucción de esófago y pene. Permite incorporar hueso, tendones, nervio y músculo para reparación de lesiones complejas, pudiéndose utilizar con flujo directo o flujo retrógrado. En el presente artículo, mostramos la experiencia adquirida por el equipo de Cirugía Plástica y Reconstructiva del Hospital Clínico de la Universidad de Chile en la utilización del colgajo radial, como alternativa de cobertura frente a diversos tipos de defectos. En nuestros resultados, el 100 por ciento de los pacientes evolucionó favorablemente, sin pérdidas parciales ni totales del colgajo; sólo algunos debieron recibir injertos dermo-epidérmicos (IDE) complementarios en un segundo tiempo, sin ningún otro procedimiento quirúrgico posterior al alta.

The Fascial Radial Flap Transfer: Case Report / 대한정형외과학회잡지

In open wounds of the hand that have exposed bone or tendons, management may be difficult. Compared with conventional cutaneous pedicle flaps, the fascial radial flap transfer has several advantages : (1) one operation is required by one operating team reliably and easy to perform, (2) the appearance is not bulky, (3) the donor area is closed primarily, and (4) the hand is free for early motion of the shoulder and the elbow. One potential disadvantage is the permanent loss of the contribution of the radial artery to the circulation of the hand. One case of the fascial radial flap transfer was performed at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery of Hanyang University Hospital, and satisfactory result was obtained.