Abstract
Since a radial forearm flap is thin and flexible, and has a long vascular pedicle, it is suitable for reconstructing soft tissue defects, particularly of the tongue, in oral cancer surgery. In general, the raw surface on the donor site of the harvested radial forearm flap is covered with full- or split-thickness skin harvested from the thigh or abdomen. However, such skin graft from the thigh or abdomen may cause complications such as hypertrophic scar formation and color mismatch on the forearm as well as delayed wound healing and surgical scar at the new donor site. Since 2001, we have harvested skin from an ipsilateral volar forearm instead of the thigh and abdomen, for covering the donor site of the radial forearm flap. In this method, triangular-shaped full-thickness skin is harvested from ipsilateral volar skin adjacent proximally to the forearm flap site. The present study clinically compared this skin graft with a skin graft from the abdomen. The skin harvested from the ipsilateral forearm showed a better color match and more satisfactory aesthetic appearance than that from the abdomen. In addition, the skin was sufficiently large to cover the donor site of the flap in all cases. Skin graft from the forearm is a useful technique for covering the donor site of a radial forearm flap.
