• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.803-807
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• 2011

Purpose: The safety of radiation therapy after breast reconstruction using transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous (TRAM) flap is still being debated, and few studies exist on the outcome of irradiation after immediate TRAM breast reconstruction. Some authors presented satisfactory outcomes after adjuvant radiation therapy on reconstructed breast with pedicled TRAM flap, while others reported significant post radiation changes of the flap. Effect of radiation therapy on TRAM flap was evaluated to see whether adjuvant radiation therapy was tolerable. Methods: 1000 immediate TRAM breast reconstruction was done by a single surgeon from July, 2001 to December, 2009. Among them 105 patients required adjuvant radiation therapy because of advanced disease or locoregional recurrence. Fat necrosis, radiation fibrosis, mastectomy skin flap necrosis, need for secondary touch up procedures, patient satisfaction were evaluated. Results: The incidence of fat necrosis was 10.5% and significant radiation fibrosis occurred in only one patient. Delayed wound problem did not occur during or after irradiation. Secondary touch-up procedures were performed in 12.3%, the most common being fat graft (8.6%). Average patient satisfaction score was 8.62/10, which was not significantly different from the authors' previous report involving all the TRAM patients (8.50). Conclusion: Radiation therapy did not increase the complication rate significantly. Aesthetic result was affected but was tolerated in most cases. The fear of adjuvant radiation is not a negative factor in selecting immediate breast reconstruction with TRAM flap.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.549-558
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• 2011

The latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap (LDMF) was initially described at the turn of the century by Tansini et al, and latissimus dorsi myocutaneous free flap (LDMFF) was also first described for the coverage of a chronically infected scalp by Maxwell et al. As a pedicled flap, LDMF has been often used for breast reconstruction and for soft tissue replacement near the shoulder and the lower reaches of the head and neck. LDMFF is a flat and broad soft tissue flap with large-caliber thoracodorsal vessels for microvascular anastomosis. A skin paddle of the LDMFF can be more than $20{\times}40$ cm, so very large defects in the oral cavity and outer facial region can be covered by this LDMFF. Other advantages include consistent vascular anatomy, acceptable donor site morbidity and the ability to perform simultaneous flap harvest with tumor resection. For a better understanding of LDMFF as a routine reconstructive procedure in large defects of the oral cavity and facial legion, anatomical findings must be learned and memorized by young doctors during the special curriculum periods for the Korean national board of oral and maxillofacial surgery. This review article discusses the anatomical basis of LDMFF with Korean language.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.89-92
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• 2011

Purpose: Electrical burn of scalp is uncommon. Much more, chronically exposed dura in unstable burn scar is quite exceptional. Hence, we report a case of chronically exposed dura following electrical burn. Methods: A 63-year-old man presented with an about 40 years history of an ulcerative lesion arising from electrical burn scar with 'squeeze like sensation' around wound. Wound was about $6{\times}8$ cm. Area in the center was $3{\times}3$ cm nonviable dura without sequestrum. Tangential excision with an intraoperative neurosurgical consultation and transposition flap under general anesthesia was done. Intraoperative biopsy was done. The wound was diagnosed as chronic osteomyelitis, not Marjolin ulcer. Flap was taken successfully. But after 5 days, infectious discharge had been appeared during 2 weeks, despite irrigation and drainage. As flap was re-evaluated, we could see remnant necrotic dura. After that, latissimus dorsi muscle free flap with meshed split thickness skin graft was transferred without excision of necrotic dura. Results: Flap was taken successfully. Follow-up at 10 weeks has been uneventful, with good and stable coverage of the wound. Conclusion: It is true that complete excision of devitalized tissue with sagittal sinus obliteration is prerequisite to flap taken. But necrotic dura was tangentially excised instead of total dura excision, because, posterior two-thirds of the sagittal sinus was involved underneath. Muscle is rich in blood vessels and decrease the recipient-site bacterial count effectively. In this case, muscle flap with skin graft without total dura excision is an alternative treatment.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.367-373
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• 2013

Background Breast-conserving surgery is widely accepted as an appropriate method in breast cancer, and the lateral thoracodorsal flap provides a simple, reliable technique, especially when a mass is located in the lateral breast. This study describes the usefulness of a lateral thoracodorsal flap after breast conserving surgery in laterally located breast cancer. Methods From September 2008 to February 2013, a lateral thoracodorsal flap was used in 20 patients with laterally located breast cancer treated at our institution. The technique involves a local medially based, wedge shaped, fasciocutaneous transposition flap from the lateral region of the thoracic area. Overall satisfaction and aesthetic satisfaction surveys were conducted with the patients during a 6-month postoperative follow-up period. Aesthetic results in terms of breast shape and symmetry were evaluated by plastic surgeons. Results The average specimen weight was 76.8 g. The locations of the masses were the upper lateral quadrant (n=15), the lower lateral quadrant (n=2), and the central lateral area (n=3). Complications developed in four of the cases, partial flap necrosis in one, wound dehiscence in one, and fat necrosis in two. The majority of the patients were satisfied with their cosmetic outcomes. Conclusions Partial breast reconstruction using a lateral thoracodorsal flap is well matched with breast color and texture, and the surgery is less aggressive than other techniques with few complications. Therefore, the lateral thoracodorsal flap can be a useful, reliable technique in correcting breast deformity after breast conserving surgery, especially in laterally located breast cancer.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.15-22
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• 2000

One hundred & seventy four consecutive free-flap transfers were reviewed to analyze distribution of the type of reconstructions, kinds of donor flaps as well incidence of complications. The role of emergent exploration and the effect of preoperative wound conditions in flap survival were evaluated. Free flap transfer for head and neck reconstruction was most common as 93 cases, followed by for upper extremity of 30 cases, for lower extremity 30 cases, 18 penile reconstructions and for trunk & breast 3 cases. Nine flaps exhibited signs of ciruclatory insufficiency between 5 hours and 7 days. Three were managed conservatively with ultimate partial necrosis of the flaps. Eight flaps required return to the operating room. On exploration, early arterial occlusion was revealed in 1 flap, late arterial occlusion in 2 flaps, early venous occlusion in 1 flap, late venous thrombosis in 2 flaps, prolonged venous spasm in 1 and hematoma in 1 flap. The average time from the first abnormal examination to exploration was 2.6 hours. There were no false-positive explorations. Four free flaps failed in spite of the correction of the cause of circulatory compromise. The remaining 4 flaps were salvaged following the correction the casuse. Recipient vessel problems such as irradiation and infection were the most common cause of circulatory crisis. Among the eight flaps requiring return to the operating room, single vein was anastomosed in three flaps and two veins in the remaining five. In the totally failed four flaps only single vein was anastomosed in three cases. The results of this study demonstrate the efficacy of clinical monitoring and the role of early exploration. Precautious selection of recipient vessels and two vein anastomosis are recommended for safe and better prognosis.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.4137-4140
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• 2012

The authors present five cases of combined oral mucosa-mandible defects reconstructed with the vascularized internal oblique-iliac crest myoosseous free flap. This technique has many advantages compared to other conventional methods such as the radial flap, scapula flap, and fibula flap. Vascularized iliac crest flaps provide sufficient high-quality bone suitable for reconstructing segmental madibular defects. Although fibular flaps allow longer donor bone tissue to be harvested, the iliac crest can provide an esthetic shape for mandibular body reconstruction and also provides sufficient bone height for dental implants. Conventional vascularized iliac crest myoosseous flaps have excessive soft tissue bulk for reconstruction of intraoral soft tissue defects. The modification discussed in the present article can reduce soft tissue volume, resulting in better functional reconstruction of the oral mucosa. Another advantage is that complete replacement of the oral mucosa is observed in as early as one month post-operation. The final mucosal texture is much better than that obtained with other skin paddle flaps, which is especially beneficial for the placement of dental implant prostheses. Donor site morbidity looks to be similar to, if not less than that observed for other modalities in terms of function and esthetics. For combined oral mucosa-mandible defects, the vascularized internal oblique-iliac crest myoosseous free flap shows good results with respect to hard and soft tissue reconstruction.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.24-30
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• 1992

Tendocutaneous free flap transfer has been usually used to treat troublesome wounds, which had extensive defect of skin and tendons, since Daniel and Taylor had reported successful free flap transfer in 1973. Among the numerous types of free flap, the dorsalis pedis flap, which could include superficial peroneal nerve, extensor tendon and second metatarsus, was widely used as composite free flap. The authors analysed 13 cases of tendocutaneous free flap transfer from dorsum of the foot which were operated at Korea University Hospital from March 1981 to August 1991. The results were as follows: 1. The average size of these flaps was $53.7cm^2$(mazimum $82cm^2$, minimum $30cm^2)$, the average number and length of tendons were 2.9(maximum, 5, minimum 1), and 9.2cm (maximum 17cm, minimum 5cm). 2. The survival rate of flaps was 100%, and functional results by Dargan's criteria were 4 in excellent, 4 good, 3 fair and 2 poor. 3. The delayed healing on donor site could prevented by the meticulous skin graft and repair of extensor retinaculum. 4. The cases of electrical burn were more worse than the traumatic cases in functional results.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.19-29
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• 2003

Soft tissue reconstruction of dorsum of the foot and ankle has long presented challenging problems for the reconstructive surgeon. Limitations of available local tissue, the need for specialized tissue, and donor site morbidity restrict the options. In an effort to solve these difficult problems, we have begun to use adipofascial flap based on the perforating branch of the peroneal artery. We present our early experience of 5 patients treated with this flap. Our patients ranged from 6 to 26 years in age and included 3 males and 2 females. The etiologies of the wounds were secondary to traffic accident, and crushing injury. The flaps had reverse flow in all patients. The flap and the adjoining raw area were covered with a full-thickness skin graft, while the donor site at the lateral aspect of the leg was closed primarily without grafting. The skin graft was taken from the inguinal area, which was closed primarily. Compared with other flap, this adipofascial flap is thinner, producing less bulkiness to the recipient site and minor aesthetic sequelae to the donor site. In our opinion, this flap is versatile, effective, and an addition to the armamentarium of the reconstructive surgeon for coverage of difficult wounds of the foot and ankle.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.276-282
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• 2006

The anterolateral thigh(ALT) flap has been known as a very versatile and reliable flap. We report our experiences with the anterolateral thigh flap for the postoncologic reconstruction of head and neck region from April 2002 to March 2005. A total of 38 subjects (M: F=30:8, mean age:53.8 years) were taken. We reviewed primary site of tumors, size and thickness of flaps, location and number of perforators, course of perforators, length of pedicle, and postoperative complications. The mean flap size, thickness and pedicle length were $11.8{\times}6.4cm$, 1.1 cm and 12.2 cm, respectively. We classified the pedicles based on the authors' criteria. Type I, pedicle with short intramuscular course, was with 29 cases(72.5%), type II, pedicle with long intramuscular course, with 6 cases(15%), type III, pedicle with septocutaneous course, with 3 cases(7.5%), and type IV, clinically unavailable pedicle, with 2 cases (5%). We experienced 1 case of partial and 1 case of total flap loss. There was 1 case of donor site wound dehiscence, which was treated by debridement and closure. According to the defect, efficient adjustment of the size and thickness of flap was possible, and favorable functional and aesthetic results have been obtained in our study. Our experience confirmed the versatility and usefulness of the anterolateral thigh flap for various reconstructions in head and neck region.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.522-527
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• 2012

Background A pectoralis major flap is one of the standard tools for the reconstruction of defects of the head and neck. Despite the technical advancement in free tissue transfer in head and neck reconstruction, the benefits of a pectoralis major flap should not be overlooked. The purpose of this study is to evaluate our 17 years of experience in reconstructing defects of the head and neck region using the pectoralis major flap. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 112 patients (120 cases) who underwent pectoralis major flap operations for head and neck reconstruction during a period ranging from 1994 to 2010. Results In our series, no total necrosis of the flap occurred. Of the total cases, 30.8% presented with flap-related complications. Major complications occurred in 20% of all of the cases but were then all successfully treated. The male sex was correlated with the occurrence of overall complications (P=0.020) and major complications (P=0.007). Preoperative albumin levels of <3.8 g/dL were correlated with the formation of fistula (P=0.030). Defects of the hypopharynx were correlated with the occurrence of major complications (P=0.019) and the formation of fistula (P=0.012). Secondary reconstructions were correlated with the occurrence of overall complications (P=0.013) and the formation of fistula (P=0.030). Conclusions A pectoralis major flap is still considered to be a safe, versatile one-stage reconstruction procedure in the management of the defects of head and neck and the protection of the carotid artery.