EARLY POSTOPERATIVE BRACHYTHERAPY AND FREE-FLAP RECONSTRUCTION IN THEMANAGEMENT OF SARCOMAS

Brachytherapy delivered within the early post-operative period has bee n associated with delayed healing and wound breakdown. The objective o f this study was to determine whether reconstruction with a microvascu lar free flap reduced the incidence of wound breakdown after early pos t-operative brachytherapy and wide excision of soft tissue sarcomas. F our patients with sarcomas underwent excision and free flap reconstruc tion. Brachytherapy was administered in the early post-operative perio d using Iridium-192 wires via tubes inserted intraoperatively. In thre e of the four patients the wounds healed uneventfully, demonstrating t hat branch therapy can be delivered in the early post-operative period following free flap reconstruction without an increase in the frequen cy of wound breakdown. There has been no local recurrence to date in t his group of patients.