M. Sengezer et al., THE USE OF CROSS-LEG FREE MUSCLE FLAPS IN THE RECONSTRUCTION OF LOWER-EXTREMITY INJURIES, European journal of plastic surgery, 20(1), 1997, pp. 37-39
The cover of soft tissue and bone defects of the distal one-third of t
he leg resulting from crush injuries is a challenging problem. In such
injuries healthy recipient vessels for free tissue transfer are frequ
ently unavailable. Three cases of gunshot wounds and a mine explosion
were managed successfully with cross-leg free muscle flaps, two latiss
imus dorsi and one rectus abdominis. The disadvantages of this techniq
ue are patient discomfort due to immobilization between the main and t
he flap division procedures together with the long hospital stay.