Serratus anterior-rib free flap in limb bone reconstruction

The authors present their experience in surgical reconstruction of bone lesions in posttraumatic bone defects, pseudarthrosis, and osteitis by using the free serratus anterior-rib flap. The flap was used in 12 cases: 7 cases in the upper limb, and 5 cases in the lower limb. The overall immediate success rate in our series was of 91.7%. We had only one failure, due to a venous thrombosis. In all successful cases, the rib showed good integration. This procedure seems to be very useful in the reconstruction of small and medium bone defects, especially in the upper limb. (C) 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.