“Tennis racket”-like flap with subcutaneous fascia pedicle from the uninjured breast in radiation ulcer treatment after radiotherapy for breast cancer
Wu Jing
Geng Dong-yun
Zhao Tian-lan
Wu Li-jun
Yu Wen-yuan
Yu Dao-jiang
Abstract：BACKGROUND:Breast radiation ulcer after radiotherapy for breast cancer is hard to treat. However, some patients can endure transfer operation of island-like flaps, and the conventional skin flap from the chest wal is also not appreciable due to rotation angle and distance limitations. OBJECTIVE:To introduce the clinical application of “tennis racket”-like flap with subcutaneous fascia pedicle from the uninjured breast in radiation ulcer treatment after radiotherapy for breast cancer, which is simple and practical and breaks with tradition in the limitation of length-to-width ratio of flaps. METHODS:“Tennis racket”-like flaps with subcutaneous fascia pedicles from the uninjured breast, which did not involve blood vessels, were used to treat nine cases of breast radiation ulcer through tunnel. The flap was designed along trend of costal bone and the pedicle is near sternum. The size of the flaps ranged from
<br> 5.0 cm×3.5 cm to 11 cm×13 cm. The length and width of the pedicle were 2-8 cm and 2.0-3.0 cm, respectively. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Al flaps survived in the nine cases postoperatively with satisfactory appearances. And no recurrences were found during the folow-up of 2 months to 3 years. The “tennis racket”-like flap with subcutaneous fascia pedicle had no major blood vessel, which was easy to cut. The length-to-wideth ratio was higher than that of random flaps, and the long and narrow pedicle permitted a larger rotation and coverage range. There was a larger donor site involving the contralateral breast soft tissue from folded skin under the breast. This flap is ideal for the treatment of radiation ulcers due to radiotherapy after breast cancer operation.
Keywords：UlcerSurgical FlapsBreast NeoplasmsRadiation Injuries
Publication Date：2015-01-01
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：5( 1745-1749 )