Reversed lateral upper arm flap with a vascularised fragment of the humerus for reconstruction of ulna shaft fracture after resection of malignant tumour: a case report

Abstract

The lateral upper arm flap (LAF) is used for a pedicled flap with the vascular arcade at the elbow. There has been no report, however, with regard to the reverse lateral upper arm flap (R-LAF) with a vascularised humerus as an osteocutaneous flap. We describe the case of a 72-year-old woman with a fracture of the ulna after wide resection of a malignant tumour at the proximal half of the forearm, which was reconstructed with an R-LAF with a vascularised fragment of the distal humerus. The flap has successfully survived and the fracture was healed without any adverse event. The R-LAF with vascularised bone is a useful option for the simultaneous treatment of soft tissue and bone defects.