Use of the latissimus dorsi myocutaneous island flap for reconstruction in the head and neck area: case report.

Cadaver dissection indicated that a large amount of tissue could be transferred in one stage to the head and neck by a latissimus dorsi myocutaneous island flap tunneled beneath a pectoral skin bridge. A clinical trial of this flap (for one-stage reconstruction of a patient after excision of a recurrent mandibular carcinoma and a neck dissection) was successful. Previous investigators have found the myocutaneous latissimus dorsi flap to be dependable and adaptable in reconstructions of the chest wall, breast, and shoulder. It is evident now that the flap also has value in reconstructions of the head and neck.