Ah. Schwabegger et al., CLINICAL-EXPERIENCE AND INDICATIONS OF THE FREE SERRATUS FASCIA FLAP - A REPORT OF 21 CASES, Plastic and reconstructive surgery, 102(6), 1998, pp. 1939-1946
The free ''serratus fascia'' flap as a free flap was first described b
y Wintsch and named a free fascia flap of gliding tissue; however, it
has not yet been given a distinct name. The particular advantages of t
his flap consist of an easy access and a low donor-site morbidity with
out functional deficit Additionally, it may be designed very variably
and molded even three-dimensionally as a tendon wraparound flap or fol
ded to fill up cavities. In our clinic, we used this flap in 21 patien
ts for distinct indications and in 7 patients as a vascular graft in f
ingers or great toe with a minimal adjacent layer of gliding tissue ar
ound the vessels fur the treatment of cold intolerance after finger re
plantation or severe finger or toe trauma. In the other cases, this ve
rsatile flap served for the coverage of traumatically exposed tendons
or bones at the extremities, covered with a skin graft. Eighteen flaps
survived completely, whereas 3 flaps developed partial or superficial
necrosis. Only once did a major complication by unintentional sacrifi
cation of the long thoracic nerve during flap harvesting occur, result
ing in a wing scapula. We recommend this flap for defect cover at site
s where a thin vascularized gliding layer for defect cover is needed,
especially in distal extremities with exposed tendons or nerves, and p
resent the current indications in discussing our experiences.