what is flap surgery

what is flap surgery

1 year ago 54
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Flap surgery is a type of reconstructive plastic surgery that involves transporting healthy, live tissue from one location of the body to another, often to areas that have lost skin, fat, muscle movement, and/or skeletal support. Flap surgery is used to repair defects left behind after traumatic injury or mastectomy (breast removal surgery) and can also produce excellent results in facial reconstruction after skin cancer removal (known as Mohs surgery) . There are several different types of flap surgery methods that may be utilized, depending upon the location of the flap and the structures that need to be repaired. The types of flap surgery include:

  • Pedicle TRAM flap
  • Free flap
  • Local flap
  • Regional flap
  • Microvascular free flap

During flap reconstruction, a plastic surgeon takes a section of tissue from one area of the body, most often the abdomen, and relocates it to create a new breast mound or to close wounds of various sizes. Flaps carry their own blood supply from the donor site to the recipient site, which means they take blood vessels with them and don’t need to develop a new supply to successfully reattach to the body. As a result, flaps have a lower failure rate and look better when fully healed than skin grafts. Flap procedures result in larger incisions that take longer to heal, so they require a longer recovery period and may require a longer hospital stay. If you have suffered tissue loss over any area of your body, you may be a candidate for flap surgery.

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