Sacral pressure sores: treatment with island gluteus maximus musculocutaneous flaps.

We have used the island gluteus maximus musculocutaneous flap to cover sacral pressure sores. In this report, we describe the surgical anatomy, cadaveric dissections (n = 25), and postoperative follow-up (one to 40 months) in 13 clinical cases. Our results compare favorably with those of other previously reported series. Postoperative complications are few (n = 2) and late recurrence is acceptable (n = 1). Since the surgical anatomy is consistent and the operative technique simple, this procedure may be the treatment of choice for sacral pressure sores.