The latissimus dorsi donor site. Current use in head and neck reconstruction

Reconstruction of head and neck defects after trauma, tumor extirpation, or disease has improved with the modern development of multiple donor sites. However, the selection of a particular pedicled or free flap should balance the required sophistication of repair with donor site morbidity. The latissimus dorsi donor site is capable of providing a versatile group of tissues; ie, muscle, skin, subcutaneous tissue, bone, nerve, and vascular pedicle. We present a series of 30 latissimus dorsi flaps (20 pedicled and 10 free) used for craniotemporal, craniofacial, midfacial, oral, oropharyngeal, mandibular, and neck skin reconstructions. The flap survival rate was 90%, a result similar to other large series. The indications for using the latissimus dorsi as opposed to other donor sites were large skin defects, cephalad defects, total glossectomy defects, defects requiring free tissue transfer, and defects where other regional donor tissue was unavailable. We also present a novel flap design for total glossectomy reconstruction.