Free Rectus Muscle or Myocutaneous Flap for Reconstruction on the Various Sites

다양한 부위의 재건에 있어 유리복직근 피판술의 이용

A free rectus abdominis flap can include a variable amount of muscle length depending on recipient site requirements. There is also great flexibility in flap design in terms of size, orientation of its axis, and the level of its location over the muscle. It is safe to design the skin island across the midline. Though skin islands designed over the most inferior portion of the abdomen have not always proved reliable when based on the superior epigastric artery, free flaps based on the inferior pedicle can be successfully designed in this area. As free flap based on the inferior epigastric vessels, this flap has been useful for large head and neck defects following ablative procedures, for facial contour restoration as a buried flap, for upper extremity defects, for lower extremity defects such as coverage of grade III tibial fractures and for breast reconstruction. A free rectus abdominis muscle or myocutaneus flap was used in 8 patients. The operations were performed between Sep. of 1994 and April of 1996. The patients were tongue cancer 1 case, chronic facial palsy 1 case, unilateral breast reconstruction 1 case, upper and lower extremity injury 5 cases. The free rectus abdominis muscle flaps were 4 cases and the free myocutaneous flaps were 4 cases. There was no failure of the flap, except one partial necrosis. One case of the skin grafts on the muscle flap was regrafted. One case of reoperation due to venous thrombosis was performed. In tongue cancer patient, a orocutaneous fistula was occurred, but conservative treatment and secondandry skin graft were done. In conclusion, a free rectus abdominis flap has many advantages such as a long and constant pedicle, easy dissection, enough soft tissue available, scar on the donor site to be hiddened, no need for changing position. So we think that this flap is the most useful one for small or moderate sized defects on the various sites.