Efficacy Evaluation Of Latissimus Dorsi Flaps In Repair Of Soft Tissue Defects Of The Limbs

Objective To investigate the effectiveness of latissimus dorsi flap in repairing soft tissue defects of limbs.Method From January 2010 to December 2022,patients with limb soft tissue defects caused by various traumas and repaired with latissimus dorsi flap in our department were systematically reviewed.There were 45 males and 7 females,aged from18 to 61 years,with an average age of 37.03 years.The causes of soft tissue defects included traffic accident injury in 19 cases,machine twist injury in 20 cases,machine crush injury in3 cases,malignant tumor in 3 cases,knife cut injury in 2 cases,high fall injury in 1 case,scar contracture in 1 case,and heavy object injury in 3 cases.All patients were treated with latissimus dorsi flap to repair soft tissue defects in various parts.Result 49 cases of postoperative latissimus dorsi flap all survived smoothly.One case experienced vascular crisis postoperatively,and after vascular exploration and loosening of the surrounding soft tissue of the vascular pedicle,the vascular crisis was relieved and the flap successfully survived;one patient underwent flap debulking surgery due to postoperative flap swelling affecting aesthetics,and the patient recovered well after surgery,and the appearance of the flap was improved;one patient had a wound dehiscence in the graft area,and underwent secondary suture,and later the graft area healed well;two patients with upper limb soft tissue defects repaired using pedicled latissimus dorsi flap,had flap cyanosis,fullness,and decreased skin temperature after flap rotation,and later the flap was returned to its original position;one case experienced pedicled latissimus dorsi necrosis.Conclusion The latissimus dorsi flap can be used as an effective method to repair soft tissue defects of limbs because of its rich and relatively constant blood supply,large and concealed donor site,and strong anti-infection ability.