Any two-lobed flap is not a bilobed flap: a revisited study for the bilobed flap technique

ABSTRACT

Eighty-two patients aged 1-91 years, who were operated on between 1989 and 2013, were included in this study. Bilobed flaps were used to repair 84 defects in 82 patients. Three flaps were elevated in a fasciocutaneous fashion, and 10 flaps were axial based on well-known vessels. Three flaps consisted of platysma, while the others were random based on unknown vessels. No donor site morbidity was reported, and a single partial necrosis in nasal alar reconstruction was observed. As a late complication, mild trapdoor deformities were found in two patients with upper cheek reconstruction. In three cases, venous stases were were observed in the distal part of the flaps during the early postoperative period. Bilobed flaps were frequently used in nose and infraorbital region. A flap may consist of many shapes and lobes. The reasons for having more than one lobe are as follows 1] the defect having features that cannot be closed with only one lobe and 2] one lobe is enough to close the defect, but to transfer the lobe to the defect might be associated with a visible morbidity and to facilitate the closure we may need a second lobe. Flaps used for the second situation are termed as bilobed flaps, while the ones used for the first situation are termed as two-lobed flaps