• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.11-18
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• 2002

Large soft tissue defects around the knee joint are known to significantly diminish joint function. Severe soft tissue defects on the anterior aspect of the knee joint especially bring on significant joint motion limitation. Although simple split skin grafts can cover the skin defect, the progressing scar contracture of the grafted skin causes joint stiffness. One of the best solutions of large soft tissue defects around the knee joint is covering the defect with a good quality skin flap. Separated flaps with one vascular pedicle are good candidates for covering anterior and posterior aspects of the joint for example. Authors performed 12 cases of combined scapular and latissimus dorsi free flaps from 1984 to 2000. Among them, we experienced 5 cases of knee joint defect covering using the double free flap for coverage of the soft tissue defect with preservation of the knee joint function and satisfactory results. The system of flaps based on the subscapular artery and vein provides a variety of composite free flaps. The possible flaps that can be harvested based on this single vascular pedicle include the scapular and parascapular skin flap, the serratus anterior and latissimus dorsi muscular flap, the lateral scapular bone flap, the latissimus dorsi-rib flap, and the serratus anterior-rib flap. This combined flap is available for multiple tissue defects or complex defects because it can be incorporated with skin, muscle and bone flaps. A main advantage is the independent vascular pedicles of each component, which allow freedom in orientation of each components. Consequently it can be freely applied to any form of three dimensional defects on the upper and lower extremities. The combination of scapular cutaneous flap and latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap can be resurfaced for massive cutaneous defects on the extremities. We report the use of the combined scapular and latissimus dorsi free flap in five patients to reconstruct massive defects on the extremities with resultant improved joint function. There was no flap failure and minimal complications and disadvantages. The anatomy of this flap is reviewed and the indication and advantages are discussed. All of the five flaps survived and there was no scar contracture affecting the joint motion.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.60-63
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• 2001

The reconstruction of the suborbital area followed by resection of skin cancer has been used many methods including skin graft, local flaps, free flaps, and skin expansion. The radial forearm free flap has become a workhorse flap in this area because of its lack of bulk, ease of dissection, malleability, and hairlessness. When the suborbital defect especially including full-thickness defect of lower lid was reconstructed with many free flaps, the ectropion and the deformity of medial and lateral canthal area were common problems encountered as late complication due to gravitational descent. To improve the final aesthetic result in patients with suborbital defect, the radial forearm free flap was elevated as a composite radial forearm - palmaris longus free flap, in which the vascularized palmaris longus london was included and anchored to the periorbital bone with $mitek^{(R)}$ as sling, to suspend the flap against gravity and inferior descent, and thereby creating a more natural cheek contour. Two clinical cases were presented as an example of this procedure. Postoperative results emphasize the importance of suspension sling with palmaris longus tendon using $mitek^{(R)}$ in reconstruction of the suborbital defect with radial forearm free flap.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.92-98
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• 1996

The rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap is frequently used in the field of plastic and reconstructive surgery such as breast reconstruction and as a donor of free tissue transfer. Major problems with this flap is bulkiness, the possibility of postoperative abdominal herniation and muscle weakness following the removal of the rectus abdominis muscle. We used paraumbilical perforator based skin flap fed by a muscle perforator from the deep inferior epigastric artery, with no or little muscle and fatty tissue, in three patients for the resurfacing of relatively wide and thin defects. This technique has all of the advantages of the conventional rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap with decreased possibility of postoperative abdominal herniation or muscle weakness. Another challenging merit is possibility of skin flap thinning.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.79-81
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• 2015

Rheumatoid arthritis is a long lasting autoimmune disorder that primarily affects joints, and patients with rheumatoid arthritis are predisposed to development of chronic skin ulcers. In addition, skin ulcers with rheumatoid arthritis tend to persist despite treatment because of sustained inflammation and poor healing capacity. Treatment of skin ulcers involves medications, wound coating agents, and surgical procedures including skin grafting, however, wound dressing or skin grafts are generally excluded because of excessive cost and time and poor intake rate. The dorsal metacarpal artery perforator (DMAP) flap, a vascular island flap for coverage of soft tissue defects on the fingers, provides promising results including matched quality and color. We experienced a case of DMAP flap for reconstruction of a rheumatoid ulcer, and a DMAP flap may be considered as a good faithful option for treatment of patients with rheumatoid ulcer.

• 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.38 no.5
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• pp.707-710
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• 2011

Purpose: Cardiac radiofrequency catheter ablation procedures using fluoroscopy were performed for the treatment of supraventricular and selected ventricular tachyarrhythmia. Fluoroscopy is used to localize the position of the intracardiac catheter. Fluoroscopically-guided procedures often involve high radiation doses to patient's skin, but the incidence of serious radiation injuries in these patients is rare. We reported two cases of severe postradiation skin injury on the back treated with the V-Y latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap. Methods: These two patients underwent radiofrequency catheter ablation under the diagnosis of Woff Parkinson White syndrome (WPW syndrome). They had radiation-induced skin injuries on the subscapular area and these lesions represented chronic ulceration, surrounding induration, hardness, and dyspigmentation. We treated these lesions with complete excision and coverage with V-Y latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap. Results: These two patients had no recurrence and no special complications during 20 months and 12 months follow-up periods and were satisfied aesthetically and functionally. Conclusion: V-Y latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap obtained better results functionally and aesthetically compared with conservative management and skin graft in severe radiation-induced skin injuries after cardiac radiofrequency catheter ablation procedure.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.435-443
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• 2020

Background The innervated radial artery superficial palmar branch (iRASP) flap was designed to provide consistent innervation by the palmar cutaneous branch of the median nerve (PCMN) to a glabrous skin flap. The iRASP flap is used to achieve coverage of diverse volar defects of digits. However, unexpected anatomical variations can affect flap survival and outcomes. Methods Cases in which patients received iRASP flaps since April 1, 2014 were retrospectively investigated by reviewing the operation notes and intraoperative photographs. The injury type, flap dimensions, arterial and neural anatomy, secondary procedures, and complications were evaluated. Results Twenty-eight cases were reviewed, and no flap failures were observed. The observed anatomical variations were the absence of a direct skin perforator, large-diameter radial artery superficial palmar branch (RASP), and the PCMN not being a single branch. Debulking procedures were performed in 16 cases (57.1%) due to flap bulkiness. Conclusions In some cases, an excessively large RASP artery was observed, even when there was no direct skin perforator from the RASP or variation in the PCMN. These findings should facilitate application of the iRASP flap, as well as any surgical procedures that involve potential damage to the PCMN in the inter-thenar crease region. Additional clinical cases will provide further clarification regarding potential anatomical variations.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.80-91
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• 1996

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.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.593-600
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• 2023

Background Soft tissue reconstruction around the knee area is still an open question, particularly in persistent infections and multiple reoperations scenario. Flap coverage should guarantee jointmobility and protection, even when foreign materials are implanted. The chimeric harvesting of the musculocutaneous gastrocnemius flap, based on the sural artery perforators, can extend its applicability in soft tissue reconstruction of the upper leg, overcoming the drawbacks of the alternative pedicled flaps. Methods A multicenter retrospective study was conducted enrolling patients who underwent to a pedicled, chimeric gastrocnemius musculocutaneous-medial sural artery perforator (GM-MSAP) or lateral sural artery perforator (GM-LSAP) flap for knee coverage in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) recurrent infections and oncological or traumatic defects of the upper leg from 2018 to 2021. Outcomes evaluated were the successful soft tissue reconstruction and flap complications. Surgical timing, reconstruction planning, technique, and rehabilitation protocols were discussed. Results Twenty-one patients were included in the study. Nineteen GM-MSAPs and 2 GM-LSAPs were performed (soft tissue reconstruction in infected TKA [12], in infected hardware [4], and in oncological patients [5]). Donor site was closed primarily in 9 cases, whereas a skin graft was required in 12. Flap wound dehiscence (1), distal flap necrosis (1), distal necrosis of the skin paddle (1), and donor site infection (1) were the encountered complications. Flap reraise associated to implant exchange or extensive debridement was successful without requiring any further flap surgery. Conclusion The propeller-perforator GM-MSAP offers qualitative defect coverage and easiness of multiple flap reraise due to skin availability and its laxity.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2002.08a
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• pp.159-160
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• 2002

New S-shaped aeroelastic mesoflaps are utilized to control normal shock/boundary-layer interactions. New generation of the mesoflaps is designed f3r a better rigidness and a good flow uniformity across the ulteractions. ,Major advantages of the mesoflap system can be a better total pressure recovery downstream of the interactions due to the lambda shock structure over the flap system, and a rehabilitation of the thickened boundary layer due to bleeding through a cavity underneath the flap system. Skin friction has been measured downstream of the interactions, using the laser interferometer skin friction (LISF) meter, which optically detects the rate of thinning of an oil film applied to the test surface. Various flap-thicknesses of the S-shaped mesoflap arrays are tested, and the results are compared to the solid-wall reference case. Overall, not much difference in the level of skin friction is noticed for the S-shaped flap arrays of various thicknesses, and its level is lower than the skin friction downstream of the solid-wall interaction