Complex reconstruction

A succinct definition of complex reconstruction is the art of replacing lost tissue and function. Tissue loss may arise as a consequence of wounds overlaying open fractures, irradiation, tumor removal, burn, massive infections or reduced blood supply. Examples are soft tissue defects after open tibia fractures, mastectomy defects, recurrent abdominal wall hernias and defects after removal of head and neck cancers.

The evolution of techniques to solve these problems represents the history of "classic" plastic surgery. Hallmarks were the development of skin grafts, reliable surgical flaps (such as the TRAM flap) and microsurgical techniques of tissue transplantation (e. g. free TRAM or DIEP flaps) and nerve repair. The rapid progress in bioengineering in the past decades complemented these surgical techniques with new biomaterials, vacuum assisted closure devices and drug therapies.

Please visit our image gallery for examples of complex reconstructions.

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