Latissimus Dorsi Flap Reconstructions: Retrospective Study

Currently, there are no universally accepted guidelines regarding when it is advisable to resort to a LD flap for the repair of a large defect and when it is considered contraindicated. Various options for reconstruction alternatives to LD are described, as are the possible early and late side effects of LD harvesting. Currently, the choice of whether or not to resort to LD harvesting to repair the defect is based on the experience and preference of the specific working group. The importance of the study lies in the attempt to analyze the choices made in the diagnostic and therapeutic phase (demolitive and reconstructive) on patients treated at IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Policlinico di Sant'Orsola in past years, in order to correlate the outcomes obtained in terms of healing, quality of life and complications in the recipient site and in the donor site with the baseline conditions of the patients, the site and the extension of the defect.

Inclusion criteria

• Duration of surgery, expressed in minutes;
• Hospitalization time, expressed in days;
• Need for reoperation within 30 days of the first operation;
• Survival and recurrences, based on the last available follow-up

Exclusion criteria

• Incomplete or missing data