What is a gracilis muscle flap?

What is a gracilis muscle flap?

The gracilis flap is a long strap muscle with a long distal tendon, supplied by a long dominant neurovascular pedicle. The single dominant vascular pedicle includes a sizeable artery (average 1.5 mm internal diameter) and two venae comitantes (average 2.0 mm internal diameter).

What is a myocutaneous flap?

Myocutaneous flaps are compound flaps with a solitary vascular supply incorporating skin, subcutaneous tissue, fascia, and the underlying muscle. Once a pedicled or free-tissue transfer is performed, the newly transferred flap begins to incorporate into the surrounding tissue.

Where is the myocutaneous flap?

Local Flaps of the Head and Neck The pectoralis myocutaneous flap is based on the thoracoacromial artery (pectoral branch), which exits the subclavian artery at the midportion of the clavicle and courses medial to the insertion of the pectoralis minor tendon.

How do you harvest gracilis flap?

Flap Harvest The patient is placed supine, with the leg prepped entirely free to the groin. The thigh is abducted and the knee slightly flexed. The axis of the muscle is marked posterior to the adductor longus by two the three finger breadths.

What artery supplies gracilis?

Gracilis muscle
Artery medial circumflex femoral artery
Nerve anterior branch of obturator nerve
Actions flexes, medially rotates, and adducts the hip
Identifiers

Why gracilis is used for grafting?

The gracilis muscle free flap is based on a single anatomically constant neurovascular pedicle. The muscle has an easily accessible donor site that allows a 2-team approach and has acceptable donor site morbidity. This muscle demonstrated reliable results for sustaining facial function after transfer.

What happens after flap surgery?

Typically, it only takes a few days to recover from flap surgery. During this time, eat soft, cool foods such as pudding or gelatin. Propping your head with pillows and applying cold or ice packs can minimize bleeding and help relieve pain and swelling.

What is the difference between flap and graft?

A “skin graft” is the transfer of a portion of the skin (without its blood supply) to a wound. A “flap” consists of one or more tissue components including skin, deeper tissues, muscle and bone.

What is Z plasty surgery?

Z-plasty is a plastic surgery technique that is used to improve the functional and cosmetic appearance of scars. With this technique, it is possible to redirect a scar into better alignment with a natural skin fold or the lines of least skin tension. Contracted scars may be lengthened with this technique.

How long does a TRAM flap surgery take?

Either free TRAM flap procedure lasts about 6 to 8 hours. A pedicled TRAM flap takes about 4 hours. After TRAM flap reconstruction surgery: You’ll be moved to the recovery room after surgery, where hospital staff members will monitor your heart rate, body temperature, and blood pressure.

Why gracilis is called Virgin muscle?

Gracilis known as anti rape muscle because it is a strong adductor of the hip joints..active during assault. so also known as “custodian of virginity”.

Why is my gracilis tight?

Neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis or stoke may cause muscle spasticity in your gracilis. Muscle spasms from overuse or improper nutrition may also cause your gracilis to feel tight and go into spasm.

Why is gracilis myocutaneous flap used in obese patients?

There are several reasons for the increased risk of flap loss when a gracilis myocutaneous flap is used. Locating the skin island supplied by perforators through the gracilis muscle can be challenging in an obese patient with sagging inner thigh skin.

Which is the first myocutaneous flap in humans?

It was one of the first myocutaneous flaps described in humans, and in 1976, Harii published a series of gracilis free flaps for soft tissue cover and, in a separate paper, a functional free gracilis for facial reanimation.

Can A gracilis flap be used for FFMT?

The gracilis flap is our first choice for the application of functioning free muscle transplantation (FFMT) for functional restoration or as a distant free flap only for skin and soft tissue coverage.

How is the gracilis muscle used in microsurgeons?

The gracilis muscle or musculocutaneous flap has been the donor muscle preferred by many reconstructive microsurgeons. Depending on the indication, the gracilis flap can be used as a local flap based on its arc of rotation for local wound coverage or reconstruction.

What is a gracilis muscle flap? The gracilis flap is a long strap muscle with a long distal tendon, supplied by a long dominant neurovascular pedicle. The single dominant vascular pedicle includes a sizeable artery (average 1.5 mm internal diameter) and two venae comitantes (average 2.0 mm internal diameter). What is a myocutaneous flap? Myocutaneous…