Flap Surgery / Microsurgery

Though success will largely depend on the extent of a patient's injury, flap surgery and microsurgery have vastly improved a plastic surgeon's ability to help a severely injured or disfigured patient.

Using advanced techniques that often take many hours and may require the use of an operating microscope, plastic surgeons can now replant amputated fingers or transplant large sections of tissue, muscle or bone from one area of the body to another with the original blood supply in tact.

The most common application of microsurgical techniques is the transfer of abdominal tissue for

breast reconstruction after mastectomy (known as a TRAM flap).  Other applications include the transfer of tissue to cover large wounds as a result of major trauma or tumour resection, or to re-attach severed body parts such as fingers, thumbs, and ears. 

A flap is a section of living tissue that carries its own blood supply and is moved from one area of the body to another. Flap surgery can restore form and function to areas of the body that have lost skin, fat, muscle movement, and/or skeletal support.

See also   Endoscopic Flap Surgery

Please ask your doctor for further information.