“Thou Shalt Not Throw Away a Living Thing”: Innovative Use of Perforator Flaps in Abdominal Wall Reconstruction

Abstract

Summary: Abdominal wall reconstruction represents a complex challenge for plastic surgeons, given the variable range of clinical situations requiring restoration of abdominal wall integrity. When significant myofascial defects are encountered, repair with either a synthetic or biological mesh is indicated, both of which have advantages and drawbacks. Taking inspiration from Gillies’ fourth commandment of plastic surgery—Thou shalt not throw away a living thing—an innovative technique to obtain a vascularized autologous mesh from the tissues usually discarded during abdominal contouring procedures was conceived. The authors describe how to maximize the use of perforator flaps derived from abdominoplasty excision patterns in abdominal wall reconstruction to simultaneously obtain restoration of abdominal wall integrity and improvement of the abdominal contour.