Turkish Neurosurgery 2008 , Vol 18 , Num 3
Repair of Wide Myelomeningocele Defects with the Bilateral Fasciocutaneous Flap Method
Nurten TURHAN HAKTANIR1, Olcay ESER2, Yavuz DEMİR3, Adem ASLAN4, Reflit KÖKEN5, Hamide MELEK6
1,3 Afyonkarahisar Kocatepe University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey
2,4 Afyonkarahisar Kocatepe University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey
5,6 Afyonkarahisar Kocatepe University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey
OBJECTIVE: Five large myelomeningocele defects repaired by bilateral fasciocutaneous flaps are presented in this article.

PATIENTS and METHODS: After the neurological repair, bilateral fasciocutaneous flaps were raised, transposed over the midline, and sutured to each other.

RESULTS: All operations lasted shorter than one hour and no major complication was noted in the follow-up. Three of the defects were in the thoracolumbar and two in the lumbosacral regions. The areas of the defects were between 5x6 cm (30 cm2) and 8x10 cm (80 cm2).

CONCLUSION: The bilateral fasciocutaneous flap technique offers a shorter operation duration and lower bleeding rate; it is simple to learn and practice and does not abolish alternative operation techniques. Keywords : Myelomeningocele, Flap, Reconstruction

Corresponding author : Nurten Turhan Haktanır, nurth70@yahoo.com