Bh. Windle et al., THE INFERIORLY BASED RECTUS-ABDOMINIS ISLAND FLAP FOR THE TREATMENT OF COMPLEX HIP WOUNDS, Plastic and reconstructive surgery, 98(1), 1996, pp. 99-102
Complex wounds in the hip region often result from complications of or
thopedic procedures performed in this region such as total hip arthrop
lasty, ORIF procedures, tumor ablation, and/or radiation therapy. Expo
sure of bone, joint capsule, prostheses, and other hardware often resu
lts with these wounds. Salvage of these exposed and/or infected essent
ial elements and providing soft-tissue coverage are difficult and chal
lenging problems for the orthopedic and plastic surgeon. To provide co
verage for such situations, we have developed an aggressive strategy o
f thorough debridement, systemic antibiotics, and well-vascularized so
ft-tissue coverage utilizing an inferiorly based rectus abdominis isla
nd flap. This technique was utilized in five patients with all wounds
and joints remaining stable at follow-up periods ranging from 2 to 7 y
ears.