2015 Volume 28 Issue 1 Pages 28-31
We have experienced a case of successful bone union of intractable humerus neck fracture and remarkable improvement of lymphedema of the upper extremity with pedicled latissimus dorsi flap transfer. A 70-year-old man broke the right humerus at the surgical neck. He had suffered from malignant dermatitis on the right shoulder in his childhood and undergone radiation therapy, so the soft tissue around his right shoulder was severely damaged. He had lymphedema of the right upper extremity before the fracture. Bone union of the humerus neck fracture could not be achieved in the first operation with Ender nail fixation. In the second operation, fixation with an anatomical locking plate and soft tissue reconstruction with pedicled latissimus dorsi flap transfer were performed. Successful bone union was obtained and unexpectedly, the lymphedema of the upper extremity disappeared postoperatively. This might suggest that soft tissue reconstruction with pedicled latissimus dorsi flap transfer promotes the drainage of lymphedema of upper extremity.
