Serum creatine kinase in fasciocutaneous and musculocutaneous flap surgery

The pre- and postoperative serum levels of creatine kinase (CK) were analyzed in 56 patients operated with three different breast reconstructive procedures. Thirteen patients were operated with the lateral thoracodorsal flap (LTD), 23 by the latissimus dorsi flap (LD), and 20 by the pedicled transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous (TRAM) flap. Nineteen patients in the LD and TRAM groups had received postmastectomy radiotherapy. The operations caused a significant rise in the serum levels of CK, and the highest levels were found on the first postoperative day: LTD, 5.4 microkat per liter; LD, 8.1 microkat per liter; and TRAM, 7.3 microkat per liter. There was no significant difference in CK levels between the groups. The irradiated patients did not show increased CK levels when compared with nonirradiated patients.