Medial saphenous fasciocutaneous and myocutaneous free flap transfer in eight dogs

Skin defects on the distal extremity (n = 7) or face (n = 1) of eight dogs were repaired using a medial saphenous fasciocutaneous or myocutaneous flap. The cause of the wounds were ablative oncological surgery (n = 4), trauma (n = 3), or radiation burn (n = 1). The flap was removed from the medial femorotibial region, and transferred to the wound bed. The vascular supply to the flap was reestablished via microvascular anastomosis of the medial saphenous vessels of the flap to recipient vessels isolated adjacent to the wound. Three flaps incorporated the distal half of the caudal head of the sartorius muscle to form a myocutaneous free flap. All flaps survived completely. The medial saphenous fasciocutaneous and myocutaneous free flaps were found to be reliable and cosmetically acceptable for repair of skin defects in dogs. (C) Copyright 1997 by The American College of Veterinary Surgeons