One-stage abdominal wall reconstruction with oblique abdominal fasciocutaneous flaps

The coverage of large soft-tissue defects of the abdominal wall resulting from ablative surgery continues to be a challenging problem. Numerous flaps have been used, but flaps have their limitations in size and as well as arc of rotation, and often require skin grafting of the secondary donor site. Thus, a combination of flaps may be required to close some of the larger defects without resorting to the use of skin grafts. This article reports a patient with an ulcerated abdominal wall tumor defect reconstructed with oblique abdominal fasciocutaneous flaps. Two flaps based on superior and inferior epigastric perforators were contoured to fit the massive defect in one stage without using a skin graft. After surgery the flap healed uneventfully and the patient was discharged from the hospital. She is now undergoing irradiation therapy in an outpatient clinic.