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

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