PEDIATRIC FREE TISSUE TRANSFER - AN EVALUATION OF 99 CASES

Objective: To evaluate the results of free tissue transfers in childre n who undergo reconstructive surgery. Design: Case series chart review . Mean follow-up longer than 2 years. Setting. Two tertiary care pedia tric hospitals. Patients: Consecutive sample of 99 children. Intervent ions: Free tissue transfers for reconstruction of a variety of defects . Main Outcome Measures: Indications, operations, complications, survi val. Results: The most common indications were for restoration of musc le function and for difficulties with soft-tissue coverage. Multiple d onor sites were used, with the gracilis muscle, fibula, latissimus dor si and groin flaps predominating. The overall survival rate was 99.0%. Complications were common, with an overall rate of 59.6%; most were g raded as minor or moderate. Conclusions: Meticulous planning is paramo unt in achieving a successful outcome. Complications are common but do not include vascular spasm. Free tissue transfers can be successfully completed in small children despite the dimensions of the tissues.