In patients with radiation ulcers or radiation sarcoma in the anterior chest, reconstruction with a free flap or a unilaterally pedicled flap is challenging. We describe 2 cases of defects reconstructed in the anterior chest with contralateral pedicled LD flaps.
The first patient, a 71-year-old woman who had suffered from breast cancer and had undergone radiation therapy and surgery 44 years previously, presented with a radiation ulcer in the anterior chest. The ulcer and scar tissue were excised, and the defect was covered with a contralateral pedicled LD flap. The second patient, an 80-year-old woman who had suffered from breast cancer and had undergone radiation therapy and surgery 35 years previously, presented with a mass at the left clavicle. The mass, diagnosed by biopsy as post-radiation sarcoma, was excised, and the defect was covered with a contralateral pedicled LD flap. Neither of the patients demonstrated recurrence or necrosis of the flap.
In conclusion, a pedicled LD flap can cover the defect in the contralateral anterior chest and is useful for reconstruction in patients with radiation ulcers or tumors.
