VOLUME 5 , ISSUE 3 ( December, 2010 ) > List of Articles
Shahram Nazerani, Mohammad Hosein Kalantar Motamedi, Mohammad Reza Keramati, Tara Nazerani
Keywords : Expanded latissimus dorsi musculocutaneus flap, Circumferential defects, Reconstruction
Citation Information : Nazerani S, Motamedi MH, Keramati MR, Nazerani T. Upper extremity resurfacing via an expanded latissimus dorsi musculocutaneus flap for large circumferential defects: the “spiral” reconstruction technique. 2010; 5 (3):115-120.
DOI: 10.1007/s11751-010-0090-z
License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Published Online: 01-01-2020
Copyright Statement: Copyright © 2010; The Author(s).
We present an expanded latissimus dorsi musculocutaneus (LDMC) flap to treat circumferential upper extremity defects via resurfacing and “spiral reconstruction” in 5 patients during a 17-year period. Five patients with different indications for tissue expansion from burns to congenital hairy nevi were operated. The expansion was done in a longitudinal direction, and a rectangular tissue expander (TE) was inserted under the LD muscle to expand the flap in a longitudinal direction thereby forming a “long” flap rather than a “wide” one. After excising the circumferential lesion, the expanded “elongated” flap was wrapped spirally around the extremity to cover the defect; the donor site was closed as usual. The 5 patients we treated via LDMC flaps in a spiral fashion were free of complications, and all were satisfied with the outcome. All the flaps survived and the spiral reconstruction allowed for a tension-free donor site closure and near complete recipient coverage. This technique is indicated for large circumferential extremity skin defects and deformities. Application of expanded LDMC flaps in a spiral fashion can be used by the reconstructive surgeon to resurface large circumferential upper extremity lesions when indicated. The idea of a long and thinned expansion flap must be in a longitudinal direction and we need this long expanded and thin flap to “spiral” it around the extremity to cover a large defect. The “spiral” flap coverage introduced here for large circumferential extremity defects enables the surgeon to cover the defect with simultaneous donor site closure and good results.