The Wounds of Free Flap Failure : What's the Solution?

유리 피판술을 실패한 환부 : 그 대책은?

There are lots of reconstructive ways like direct closure, skin graft, local flap, regional flap, distant flap, free flap and so on. Microsurgical reconstruction is regarded as the last step in various reconstructive methods. So the failure of this last step causes the troublesome situation for both of patients and surgeon. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the problems in failed free flap surgery and to introduce the strategy of appropriate management in wound of free flap failure. We performed 252 cases of free flap surgeries from May, 1988 to June, 1998. Among these cases, we failed 9 cases of free flaps. Patients' age ranged from 19 to 63. There were 7 males and 2 females. Site of failure were 3 head and neck areas, 2 hands, and 4 lower extremities. However there was no failure in breast, trunk, buttock, and genitalia. 7 patients who had region of head and neck, and lower extremity underwent the second free flap surgery successfully in postoperative 4 to 16 days following debridement of necrotic tissue. However 2 patients who had region in hand were managed with conventional treatment like skin graft and distant flap. Vein grafts were needed in 3 cases of 7 second free flaps, and 1 patients needed sequentially-linked free flaps with two flaps. The second free flaps were inevitable for head and neck area because the large complex wound may cause the lifethreatening condition without immediate coverage with well vascularized flap. Lower extremity also needed second free flap for limb salvage. Hand could be managed with conventional method, even though healing time was quite delayed. We thought second free flap surgery in free flap failure cases should be performed with more careful preoperative evaluation and refined surgery. Success of second free flap surgery could recover the very difficult situation due to previously failed operation.

저자들은 1988년부터 1998년까지 시행한 252예의 유리피판술 중 9예에서 미세혈관 문합부의 혈전 등의 이유로 실패하였으며, 이들 중 두경부 및 하지의 7예에서는 첫 수술 4-16일 사이에 제 2의 유리피판술을 성공적으로 시행하여 환부를 치유시키고, 처음에 계획하였던 수술적 목표를 달성하였다. 수부의 2예는 환자 및 보호자와 충분한 상의하여 원거리 피판과 피부이식 등 고식적인 치료 방법을 선택하였다. 수부의 경우는 다른 부위보다 고식적 치료 방법이 덜 부담되었던 것으로 생각되었으며, 두경부와 하지는 환부의 특성상 제 2의 유리 피판술이 최선의 선택으로 생각되었다. 유리 피판술이 실패한 환부에서 계속된 제 2의 유리 피판술을 시행하는 것은, 처음의 수술보다 면밀한 술전 계획과 준비, 완벽한 수술, 수술후의 철저한 환자 관리가 요구되었으나, 이들 환부의 처치에 매우 효과적이고 환자의 기대에 부응할 수 있는 방법이라고 생각된다.