This work presents the case of a 76-year old patient, with a large ulcerated thoraco-dorsal tumor, which was excised by a mixed surgical team (plastic and general surgery), and the resulted defect was closed by an omental flap, which was trans-peritoneal transposed and covered by split-thickness skin grafts. The surgical intervention steps and the postoperatory evolution are exposed. The surgic...

BACKGROUND In patients with extensive soft tissue fibrosis requiring circumferential pharyngeal reconstruction following definitive radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy, we take advantage of abundant omental progenitor factors in the tubed gastro-omental free flap. This study reviews our experience with this flap. METHODS Review of 11 patients (median follow-up, 2.8 years) undergoing total pharyn...

PURPOSE To evaluate the effect of respiratory function and exercise capacity after omental flap transposition. METHODS From October 2005 to December 2006, we classified mediastinitis patients treated with omental flap transposition (OT group; n = 10) and patients who underwent only cardiovascular surgery without developing complications (control group; n = 25). Percent vital capacity (%VC) wa...

BACKGROUND Reconstruction of irradiated pelvic defects following oncologic resection requires dead-space obliteration to reduce wound healing complications. Although the vertical rectus abdominis myocutaneous (VRAM) flap is often the best option for pelvic reconstruction following abdominoperineal resection or pelvic exenteration, donor- and recipient-site complications are common. The authors ...

OBJECTIVE To present the use of an infrequently used tool, gastro-omental free flaps, available to head and neck surgeons in the modern reconstruction era. METHODS In this case series, 25 gastro-omental free flaps were performed. The technical aspects of harvest are reviewed, and the advantages and disadvantages of this flap are described, as well as illustrative cases displaying this flap's ...

OBJECTIVE To report our experience with the laparoscopically harvested omental flap in the treatment of deep sternal wound infection, and to present a modification and introduce two supportive techniques in the perioperative management. METHODS Between June 2005 and September 2007, six patients with grade IV (El Oakley-Wright classification) deep sternal wound infection following a median ste...

BACKGROUND Malignant lesions of the pharyngoesophagus often require total laryngopharyngectomy and mediastinal dissection. As a result of the current treatment paradigms for advanced laryngopharyngeal cancers, it is common that the surgical field has been previously irradiated or exposed to systemic chemotherapy, resulting in fistula rates as high as 78% and mortality as high as 8%. The free va...

BACKGROUND The greater omentum is supplied by the right, middle, and left omental arteries, which arise from the right and left gastroepiploic arteries. All or part of the greater omentum can be harvested based on this blood supply for free tissue transfer. It has stimulated new interest in its use as the donor site in the treatment of lymphedema. For patients who have failed other management o...

BACKGROUND We present a unique case of a cardiac transplant recipient who received an oversized heart. METHODS To allow the chest to accommodate the organ, extensive resection of the bony chest wall was performed. As both pectoralis major myocutaneous flaps and omental transposition were insufficient to cover the wound, a chest rotational flap was chosen. RESULTS The large size of the flap ...

BACKGROUND A new technique of oncoplastic breast surgery (OBS) using laparoscopically harvested pedicled omental flap has been developed in the past 10 years. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of this technique. METHODS Twenty-five patients underwent OBS using laparoscopically harvested omental flap. Operative time, blood loss, complications, recurrence, and cosmetic outcomes were ...