• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.281-286
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• 2005

The goal in facial paralysis treatment is to achieve the normal appearance of the face as well as to reconstruct the natural symmetrical smile. In cases of facial paralysis, a widely accepted procedure is the two stage method, which combines neurovascular free muscle transfer with cross face nerve grafting. Although the results are promising, the two operations of this method, which are about 1 year apart, impose an economic burden on the patients and require a lengthy period before results are obtained. In order to overcome these drawbacks, one stage method, using latissimus dorsi neurovascuular free muscle flap was introduced. Between January 2000 and January 2004, fifteen patients with long standing facial paralysis were treated in the Korea University Anam Hospital. The segmental latissimus dorsi with long nerve and pedicle was transferred to the paralyzed side of the face. The first postoperative movement of the transferred muscle was reported at 8.9 months, faster than that of the two stage method. During the next 24 months, a constant increase in the power of muscle contraction was observed. The fifteen cases were evaluated within an average of 31.7 months following the surgery and satisfactory results including muscle contraction were obtained in eleven of the cases but muscle contraction was not found in three cases.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.80-83
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• 2015

We present reconstruction of a complicated scalp-dura defect using acellular human dermis and latissimus dorsi myocutaneous free flap. A 62-year-old female had previously undergone decompressive craniectomy for intracranial hemorrhage. The cranial bone flap was cryopreserved and restored to the original location subsequently, but necessitated removal for a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcal infection. However, the infectious nidus remained in a dermal substitute that was left over the cerebrum. Upon re-exploration, this material was removed, and frank pus was observed in the deep space just over the arachnoid layer. This was carefully irrigated, and the dural defect was closed with acellular dermal matrix in a watertight manner. The remaining scalp defect was covered using a free latissimus dorsi flap with anastomosis between the thoracodorsal and deep temporal arteries. The wound healed well without complications, and the scalp remained intact without any evidence of cerebrospinal fluid leak or continued infection.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.577-582
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• 2021

Robot-assisted surgery is evolving to incorporate a higher number of minimally invasive techniques. There is a growing interest in robotic breast reconstruction that uses autologous tissue. Since a traditional latissimus dorsi (LD) flap leads to a long donor scar, which can be an unpleasant burden to patients, there have been many attempts to decrease the scar length using minimally invasive approaches. This study presents the case of a patient who underwent a robot-assisted nipple-sparing mastectomy followed by immediate breast reconstruction with an LD flap using a single-port robotic surgery system. With the assistance of a single-port robot, a simple docking process using a short and less visible incision is possible. Compared to multiport surgery systems, single-port robots can reduce the possibility of collision between robotic arms and provide a clear view of the medial border of the LD where the curvature of the back restricts the visual field. We recommend the use of single-port robots as a minimally invasive approach for harvesting LD flaps.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.8-13
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• 2011

Purpose: A palatal defect following maxillectomy can cause multiple problems like the rhinolalia, leakage of foods into the nasal cavity, and hypernasality. Use of a prosthetic is the preferred method for obturating a palate defect, but for rehabilitating palatal function, prosthetics have many shortcomings. In a small defect, local flap is a useful method, however, the size of flap which can be elevated is limited. In 12 cases of palatomaxillary defect, we used various microvascular free flaps in reconstructing the palate and obtained good functional results. Method: Between 1990 and 2004, 12 patients underwent free flap operation after head and neck cancer ablation, and were reviewed retrospectively. Among the 12 free flaps, 6 were latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flaps, 3 rectus abdominis myocutaneous flaps, and 3 radial forearm flaps. Result: All microvascular flap surgery was successful. Mean follow up time was 8 months and after the follow up time all patients reported satisfactory speech and swallowing. Wound dehiscence was observed in 4 cases, ptosis was in 1 case and fistula was in 1 case, however, rhinolalia, leakage of food, or swallowing difficultly was not reported in the 12 cases. Conclusion: We used various microvascular flaps for palatomaxillary reconstruction. For 3-dimensional flap needs, we used the latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap to obtain enough volume for filling the defect. Two-dimensional flaps were designed with latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap, rectus abdominis flap and radial forearm flap. For cases with palatal defect only, we used the radial forearm flap. In palatomaxillary reconstruction, we can choose various free flap techniques according to the number of skin paddles and flap volume needed.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.267-272
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• 2008

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=0 mL, group 2=1 mL, group 3=2 mL, group 4=4 mL). 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: $0.01mL/cm^2$ with spray type fibrin sealant.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.105-111
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• 2005

Perforator flaps have become increasingly popular in microsurgery nowadays and are being used widely for many cases of reconstruction after trauma and cancer ablation. And thoracodorsal perforator based free flap is one of them having the merits of carrying a large skin paddle with leaving intact innervation and function of the remaining latissimus dorsi muscle. We made a homogeneous thin flap excluding the main muscle with a long vascular pedicle and tried to decrease the donor site morbidity. But, it needs a long learning-curve and we have met marginal flap necrosis frequently. Besides, prolonged operation time for complete perforator dissection may be a tedious job to the microsurgeon. To overcome these disadvantages, we usually included very small portion of the latissimus dorsi muscle during this flap elevation around the pedicled 2-3 thoracodorsal perforators during this flap elevation. We performed 3 cases of thoracodorsal perforator based free flap at Hallym university sacred heart hospital between May and August 2005 for the soft tissue defect of the scalp and feet. The average flap size was $8{\times}14\;cm$. Although it is not a true perforator flap, we can get the reliability for the flap survival with much better blood circulation and save the time of one or two hours to dissect the perforators completely. All cutaneous flaps survived completely without any complication except one fatty female who had the very small superficial fat necrosis due to flap bulkiness. We believe the thoracodorsal perforator based free flap can be extended its versatility and reliability by including the very small portion of the muscle around the perforators.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.423-426
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• 2012

Spinal infection is an inflammatory process around the vertebral body, and it can extend to the epidural space, posterior elements and paravertebral soft tissues. Infectious spondylitis is a rare infectious disorder, which is often associated with significant neurologic deficits and mortality. When an extensive soft tissue defect is accompanied by infectious spondylitis, effective infection control and proper coverage of soft tissue are directly connected to successful outcomes. However, it is not simple to choose the appropriate treatment methods for infectious spondylitis accompanied by a soft tissue defect. Herein, we report a case of severe infectious spondylitis that was accompanied by an extensive soft tissue defect which was closed with a reverse latissimus muscle flap after traumatic spinal epidural hemorrhage.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.154-157
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• 2012

Lymphedema is a common complication after mastectomy in breast cancer patients. Many treatment options are available, but no treatment results in a complete cure. We report a case of lymphedema that occurred after modified radical mastectomy in a breast cancer patient who showed objective improvement after delayed breast reconstruction with an latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap. A 41-year-old female patient with left breast cancer had undergone modified radical mastectomy with axillary lymph node dissection and postoperative radiotherapy 12 years previously. Four years after surgery, lymphedema developed and increased in aggravation despite conservative treatment. Eight years after the first operation, the patient underwent delayed breast reconstruction using the extended latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap method. After reconstruction, the patient's lymphedema symptoms showed dramatic improvement by subjective measures including tissue softness and feeling of lightness, and by objective measures of about 7 mL per a week, resulting in near normal ranges of volume. At a postoperative follow-up after 3 years, no recurrence was observed. Delayed breast reconstruction with extended latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flaps may be helpful to patients with lymphedema after mastectomy. This may be a good option for patients who are worried about the possibility of the occurrence or aggravation of secondary lymphedema.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.504-508
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• 2012

Background The most common complication of latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap in breast reconstruction is seroma formation in the back. Many clinical studies have shown that fibrin sealant reduces seroma formation. We investigated any statistically significant differences in postoperative drainage and seroma formation when utilizing the fibrin sealant on the site of the latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap harvested for immediate breast reconstruction after skin-sparing partial mastectomy. Methods A total of 46 patients underwent immediate breast reconstruction utilizing a latissimus dorsi myocutaneous island flap. Of those, 23 patients underwent the procedure without fibrin sealant and the other 23 were administered the fibrin sealant. All flaps were elevated with manual dissection by the same surgeon and were analyzed to evaluate the potential benefits of the fibrin sealant. The correlation analysis and Mann-Whitney U test were used for analyzing the drainage volume according to age, weight of the breast specimen, and body mass index. Results Although not statistically significant, the cumulative drainage fluid volume was higher in the control group until postoperative day 2 (530.1 mL compared to 502.3 mL), but the fibrin sealant group showed more drainage beginning on postoperative day 3. The donor site comparisons showed the fibrin sealant group had more drainage beginning on postoperative day 3 and the drain was removed 1 day earlier in the control group. Conclusions The use of fibrin sealant resulted in no reduction of seroma formation. Because the benefits of the fibrin sealant are not clear, the use of fibrin sealant must be fully discussed with patients before its use as a part of informed consent.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.56-62
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• 1997

Latissimus dorsi(LD) muscle is the largest transplantable block of vascularized tissue. Since LD free flap was introduced in 1970's, this flap has been widely used for the reconstruction of large soft tissue defect of the limb. From 1981 to 1996, we had experienced 37 cases of LD free flap. Serratus anterior muscle was combined with LD in three of them whose defects were very large. The average age of the patients was 31 years(range : 4-74 years), and thirty one patients were male. Trauma was cause of the defect in every case. For the recipient sites, the foot and ankle was the most common(22 cases); and the knee and lower leg(11 cases), the elbow and forearm(2 cases), the hand(2 cases) were the next. The duration of follow-up was averaged as 16 months(range: 6 months-12 years). Thirty one cases(84%) out of 37 were successful transplantations. In one case the failure of the flap was due to heart attack and subsequent death of the patient. One failure was caused by sudden violent seizure of the patient who had organic brain damage. Immediate reexploration of the flap was performed in 4 patients, and the flap survived in three of them. There was one necrosis of the grafted split-thickness skin on the survived LD flap. LD free flap was considered as one of the good methods, for the reconstruction of the large soft tissue defect of the limb.