Introduction The need for soft tissue coverage in abdominal wall reconstruction implies a lack of tissue beyond the availability of local tissue to be recruited to resurface the defect. As the majority of abdominal wall defects can be reconstructed with…
Introduction The structure of the chest and back serves multiple functions that are important to be aware of and maintain during reconstruction. The chest and back protect the vital heart, lungs, great vessels, and spine, and provide a pressure environment…
Introduction Autologous options for breast reconstruction have greatly expanded since the initial descriptions of the latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap and the transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous (TRAM) flap. In many ways, these two flaps have provided the cornerstone for many of…
Introduction and Historic Review Facial paralysis (FP) is a devastating condition which strips the human face from all emotional expressivity, leading to severe consequences in the quality of life, interpersonal communication, and psychological development of the afflicted patient ( Fig.…
Introduction The head and neck is a unique anatomic region of the human body with specialized function. The sophisticated arrangement of multiple tissue types comprises unique physical traits from individual to individual. Regions of the head, face, and neck are…
Introduction The reconstructive microsurgeon is often consulted for management of lower extremity bone and soft tissue defects. Defects can arise from multiple causes, including trauma, oncologic resection, infection, or pre-existing vascular disease. By far, trauma is the most common etiology…
Introduction Reconstructive microsurgery of the upper extremity requires detailed knowledge of the regional anatomy of the arm, forearm and hand. Specific familiarity with the anatomy of the neurovascular structures allows safer, more expeditious flap elevation and recipient vessel exposure. This…
Introduction Reconstruction of the torso is a broad topic, which in and of itself includes techniques of local tissue rearrangement, skin grafting, local and regional flaps, as well as complex microsurgical reconstruction. The defects to be reconstructed are equally diverse…
Introduction Head and neck reconstruction presents unique challenges to the reconstructive surgeon. Because of the visibility of this region, defects are often difficult to conceal and the demands on the surgeon's reconstructive skills are greater than they are elsewhere in…
Introduction In recent years, robotic surgery has grown to dominate minimally invasive applications in the various surgical subspecialties. The currently available robotic surgical platform (da Vinci, Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA) consists of two integrated subsystems: a surgeon console and a…