• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.143-146
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• 2012

Purpose: The typical reconstructive option for the nasal tip is paramedian forehead flap. However, the forehead flap is too bulky for nasal tip reconstruction and does not look natural, and therefore, secondary operations for debulking are required. Methods: We treated a 46-year-old woman who suffered from a nose tip soft tissue defect using a modified paramedian forehead flap. The flap was elevated from the hair line of the forehead and had 3-layered structure. The distal part included skin and subcutaneous tissue, the middle part included frontalis muscle, and the proximal part had periosteum. Results: The nasal tip was not bulky and looked natural in terms of height, shape, and had 3-dimensional structure without debulking procedure. The patient was satisfied with the outcome. Conclusion: The authors' modified paramedian forehead flap may be a useful option for the treatment of nasal tip, columella, and alar defects. With these modifications, the paramedian forehead flap can provide an aesthetically acceptable nasal tip appearance without debulking.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.49 no.9
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• pp.527-534
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• 2011

Microvascular reconstruction of maxillary composite defect after oncologic resection has improved both esthetic and functional aspect of quality of life of the cancer patients. However, a lot of patients had prior surgery with radiation and/or chemotherapy as a part of comprehensive cancer treatment. Sometimes it is nearly impossible to find out adequate recipient vessel for maxillary reconstruction with microvascular anastomosis. Therefore long pedicle of the flap is needed to use distant neck vessels located far from the reconstruction site such as ipsilateral transverse cervical artery or a branch of contralateral external carotid artery. For this reason, although we know the treatment of the choice is osteocutaneous flap, it is difficult to use this flap when we need long pedicle with complex three dimensional osseous defect. Vascular option for these vessel-depleted neck patients can be managed by a soft tissue reconstruction with long vascular pedicle and additional free non-vascularized flap that is rigidly fixed to remaining skeletal structures. For this reason, maxillofacial reconstruction by vascularized soft tissue flap with or without the secondary restoration of maxillary bone with non-vascularized iliac bone can be regarded as one of options for reconstruction of profound maxillofacial composite defect resulted from previous oncological resection with chemo-radiotherapy.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.100-106
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• 2013

There are many challenges for reconstruction after intraoral tumor resection. Especially, palatomaxillary reconstruction has two primary goals: closure of the oronasal communication and re-creation of proper myomucosal function. Prosthodontic treatment using obturator and several surgical procedures are selected depending on the size and site of the defect, the difficulty of operative procedure, operation time and donor site problem. Above all, it is considered that radial forearm free flap is the first choice for palatal reconstruction. Our department introduces a novel method using tunnelized-facial artery myomucosal island flap for palatomaxillary defect reconstruction, which can successfully reduce donor-site morbidity, and duration of surgery and hospitalization.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.22-25
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• 2010

Purpose: As patients who take immediate breast reconstructions with TRAM flap have increased, concomitant or delayed other elective intra-abdominal operations in these patients also have increased. There are few reports of concomitant or delayed intra-abdominal operation in TRAM flap patients. We report our experiences and outcomes of these operations which is safe and feasible. Methods: We reviewed the charts and postoperative follow-up results of 11 patients among 471 consecutive patients who took immediate breast reconstruction with TRAM flap from December of 2002 to September of 2006. Four patients took concomitant intra-abdominal operation and 7 patients took delayed intra-abdominal operation between 1 to 52 months after TRAM flap Results: There were no significant postoperative abdominal and systemic complications. One patient who took concomitant intra-abdominal operation presented partial skin necrosis of abdomen, but recovered completely with conservative treatments. Two patients took transfusion in peri-operative periods. Conclusion: Concomitant or delayed intra-abdominal operation in immediate breast reconstruction with TRAM flap could be performed safely and feasibly when it is necessary. Furthermore, it could be helpful to patients and surgeons.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.73-77
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• 2015

The latissimus dorsi flap is popular due to the versatile nature of its applications. When used as a pedicled flap it provides a robust solution when soft tissue coverage is required following breast, thoracic and head and neck surgery. Its utilization as a free flap is extensive due to the muscle's size, constant anatomy, large caliber of the pedicle and the fact it can be used for functional muscle transfers. In facial palsy it provides the surgeon with a long neurovascular pedicle that is invaluable in situations where commonly used facial vessels are not available, in congenital cases or where previous free functional muscle transfers have been attempted, or patients where a one-stage procedure is indicated and a long nerve is required to reach the contra-lateral side. Although some facial palsy surgeons use the trans-axillary approach, an operative guide of raising the flap by this method has not been provided. A clear guide of raising the flap with the patient in the supine position is described in detail and offers the benefits of reducing the risk of potential brachial plexus injury and allows two surgical teams to work synchronously to reduce operative time.

• Korean Journal of Bronchoesophagology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.185-188
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• 2000

The goals of lip reconstruction are to provide oral competence, adequate support for the lower lip, contour restoration, adequate lip sulcus, and adequate oral aperture. The composite radial forearm palmaris longus free flap is thin enough that it can be folded onto itself without a significant increase in bulk. The flap is easy to dissect, the pedicle contains long vessels of large diameter, and the skin is a good color and texture match for the perioral region. Moreover, the vascularized tendon can be used for lower lip reconstruction. This makes the flap ideally suited for total lower lip reconstruction. We experienced the case of total lower lip excision and reconstruction with the radial forearm free flap including palmaris longus tendon, so we reported that case with literature. The patient has a lower lip squamous carcinoma(T3NIM0), and performed a total lower lip excision with right modified radical neck dissection and left extended supraomohyoid neck dissection, and a reconstruction with radial forearm free flap includng palmaris longus tendon. The oral competence and masticatory function were nearly normalized and cosmetical result was very acceptable.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.457-460
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• 2010

Purpose: The great toe presents a reconstructive challenge for plastic surgeons. The big toe has much importance not only for the gait and the stability, but also for appearance aspects. Few reports have documented the reconstruction of big toe defects and we report a unique case of free flap reconstruction technique. Methods: A 41-year-old man with right great toe open fracture with soft tissue necrosis was referred from the orthopedic surgery department. On physical examination, there was the skin necrosis circumferentially and the fratured bone was severely fragmented. The metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint of the big toe was intact. After the wound debridement, we harvested the innervated anterolateral thigh flap and transposed to the defected area. After five months, we finally retouched the flap by the dorsal defatting and distal debulking. Results: He had an uneventful postoperative course without infection, dehiscence and flap necrosis. He has remained asymptomatic for eight months without any recurrence such as the osteomyelitis. Finally, he kept the normal gait and posture with weight bearing on the reconstructed great toe and foot. Conclusion: The anterolateral thigh flap is described for the reconstruction of the great toe. It involves two stage procedure with the minimal donor site morbidity and provides a good cosmetic result.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.88-91
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• 2020

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the second most common skin malignancy. This report describes the case of an unusual extensive SCC involving the whole hemiface, which required reconstruction with a combination of a dual vascular free transverse rectus abdominis muscle (TRAM) flap and a skin graft. A 79-year-old woman visited our hospital with multiple large ulcerated erythematous patches on her right hemiface, including the parieto-temporal scalp, bulbar and palpebral conjunctiva, cheek, and lip. A preliminary multifocal biopsy was performed in order to determine the resection margin, and the lesion was resected en bloc. Orbital exenteration was also performed. A free TRAM flap was harvested with preserved bilateral pedicles and was anastomosed with a single superior thyroidal vessel. The entire TRAM flap survived. The final pathological examination of the resected specimen confirmed that there was no regional nodal metastasis, perineural invasion, or lymphovascular involvement. The patient was observed for 6 months, and there was no evidence of local recurrence. Usage of a TRAM flap is appropriate for hemifacial reconstruction because the skin of the abdomen matches the color and pliability of the face. Furthermore, we found that the independent attachment of two extra-flap anastomoses to a single recipient vessel can safely result in survival of the flap.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.255-261
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• 2019

Cross-leg flaps are a useful reconstructive option for complex lower limb defects when free flaps cannot be performed owing to vessel damage. We describe the use of the extended distally based sural artery flap in a cross-leg fashion for lower extremity coverage in three patients. To maximise the viability of these extended flaps, a delay was performed by raising them in a bipedicled fashion before gradual division of the tip over 5 to 7 days for cross-leg transfer. Rigid coupling of the lower limbs with external fixators was critical in preventing flap avulsion and to promote neovascular takeover. The pedicle was gradually divided over the ensuing 7 to 14 days before full flap inset and removal of the external fixators. In all three patients, the flaps survived with no complications and successful coverage of the critical defect was achieved. One patient developed a grade 2 pressure injury on his heel that resolved with conservative dressings. The donor sites and external fixator pin wounds healed well, with no functional morbidity. The cross-leg extended distally based sural artery flap is a reliable reconstructive option in challenging scenarios. Adequate flap delay, manoeuvres to reduce congestion, and postoperative rigid immobilization are key to a successful outcome.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.293-301
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• 2020

Blades of tidal stream turbines have to sustain many different loads during operation in the underwater environment, so securing their structural safety is a key issue. In this study, we focused on periodic loads due to wave orbital motion and propose a load reduction method with a blade design. The flap of an airplane wing is a well-known structure designed to increase lift, and it can also change the load distribution on the wing through deflection. For this reason, we adopted a passive flap structure for the load reduction and investigated its effectiveness by an analytical method based on the blade element moment theory. Flap torsional stiffness required for the design of the passive flap can be obtained by calculating the flap moment based on the analytic method. Comparison between a flapped and a fixed blade showed the effect of the flap on load reduction in a high amplitude wave condition.