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Updated: May 9, 2026
Engineered Vascularized Muscle Flap
Published on: January 11, 2016
Flow-through divided latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap for large extremity defects
Shimpei Miyamoto1, Shuji Kayano, Masahide Fujiki
1From the *Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo; and†Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, National Cancer Center Hospital East, Kashiwa, Japan.
Abstract:
Reconstructing large defects of the extremities is a challenging problem for reconstructive microsurgeons. The latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap (LDMCF) is widely used for this purpose, but a skin graft is needed when the defect is wider than available flaps. We used flow-through divided LDMCFs to reconstruct large defects of the extremities in 5 consecutive patients from 2010 through 2012. The semicircular skin island was split longitudinally, and 1 skin island was advanced over the other to close a round or oval defect without a skin graft. Postoperatively, all flaps survived completely, and the mean Enneking score was 90.0%. The flow-through divided LDMCF is a reliable and versatile option for reconstructing large defects of the extremities.
