Severe Neck Scar Contracture Reconstructed With a Ninth Dorsal Intercostal Perforator Augmented “Super-Thin Flap”

Abstract

The authors have reconstructed neck scar contractures with "super-thin flaps" (subdermal vascular network [SVN] flaps) since 1994 and have used the circumflex scapular artery and veins (CSAV) and dorsal intercostal perforators (DICPs) to augment the blood flow in the distal portion of the flaps. These free microvascular augmentations enlarge the flap survival area. In this report, the authors describe a severe neck scar contracture reconstructed with a ninth DICP augmented "super-thin flap." The patient was a 51-year-old woman with severe flame burns on 44% of her total body surface area, resulting from a cooking accident. After emergency skin grafting, the patient had a severe scar contracture and intractable ulcer of the anterior neck. CSAV and a ninth DICP augmented occipito-cervico-dorsal (OCD) "super-thin flap" transfer were used to reconstruct the anterior neck. The flap size was 28 x 15 cm, and it survived completely. The cervico-mental angle was clear and esthetically pleasing, and not only the aesthetic results but also the functional results were excellent.