The antecubital fasciocutaneous island flap for elbow coverage

Soft-tissue defects in the area of the periolecranon may be a source of concern to the reconstructive surgeon who aims for durable protection with a minimum of drawbacks. Lamberty and Cormack described the antecubital fasciocutaneous flap both as a local transposition and as a free flap. The island version of this flap enables a single-stage transfer of thin, pliable, sensitive skin into the region of the periolecranon without further scarring around the defect. In general, most of the donor site can be closed primarily together with a small, full-sheet, split-thickness skin graft on the remaining skin defect on the volar surface of the distal forearm. An additional advantage of this flap is the rather straightforward dissection with minimal repercussion on the forearm contour. An anatomic overview as well as 4 patients are described to illustrate the appealing features of this fasciocutaneous flap.