Clinical cases of deep inferior epigastric artery free skin flap.

Lee, Jeong Jae; Yoo, Young Chun; Yoo, Seog Keun

Original Article

Journal of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons 1998;25(3):464-472.
Published online April 1, 1998.

Clinical cases of deep inferior epigastric artery free skin flap.

Jeong Jae Lee, Young Chun Yoo, Seog Keun Yoo

Department of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, College of Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Korea.

Abstract

Since the use of the rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap was first reported by Mathes and Bostwick in 1977, its clinical utility both as an pedicled flap and a free flap has broadened reconstructive surgery. But there is a risk of postoperative abdominal hernia formation and bulkiness due to the volume of the rectus muscle and subcutaneous fatty tissue, it is pointed out as a disadvantage in the recipient site where a thin flap is required. To overcome these problems, Koshima (1989), and Itoth (1993) described the modification of this flap which contained little or no muscle or fascia. In our department , we performed deep inferior epigastric artery free skin flap in soft tissue reconstruction in three patients: we dissected one or two muscle perforator from the rectus muscle, removed the deep fatty layer, so we could elevate a thin flap. The results were good, so we are willing to describe the operative technique and its usefulness.

Keywords: Deep inferior epigastric artery free skin flap