[Choice of technique in covering an excision of neoplastic tissue in the inguinal area]

Cancer surgery of the groin may lead to large skin resection with exposure of the femoral vessels. A reliable coverage technique must be chosen to enable this kind of surgery. Six patients were operated on, and ten flaps were used (3 omentum - 3 rectus abdominis - 1 fascia lata - 1 gracilis - 2 latissimus dorsi free flaps). In the light of our results, omentum must be used when laparotomy is associated with inguinal resection and omentum is available. In the other cases, resection size could prohibit the use of local flaps and a contralateral rectus abdominis flap is chosen which allows coverage of the inguinal area down to the middle third of the thigh.