Post-transfer flap expansion for management of severe post-burn contraction neck

Received 22 January 2008; accepted 5 October 2009. published online 03 December 2009.

Summary

We report a case of a 35-year-old woman who presented with post-burn neck scar contracture with massive scarring of the neck and lower face. The initial step was to release the contracture with excision of the scar tissue together with coverage of the resultant defect with a latissmus dorsi musculocutaneous flap. Six months later, we implanted a round tissue expander underneath the flap with steady cautious expansion over the following 7 months to almost double the original flap dimensions to achieve an additional replacement of the scar tissue over the upper neck and lower face.

Keywords: flap expansion, latissmus dorsi flap, neck scar contracture

Department of Plastic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt

Tarek MAHBOUB, MD, Professor of Plastic Surgery, El Iqtesad International Tower, King Abdullah Street, P.O. Box 1219, Jeddah 21473, Saudi Arabia. Tel.: Home: +966 2 6533571, Office: +966 2 6530000x411, Mobile: +966557170463, +966569609504; Fax: +966 2 6533571.

PII: S1010-5182(09)00171-1

doi:10.1016/j.jcms.2009.10.007

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