The unilateral reverse latissimus dorsi flap for soft tissue coverage of midline thoracal defects after spine surgery procedure: A case report

INTRODUCTION: The thoracolumbal region is often a difficult area to reconstruct for orthopaedic surgeons. Reconstruction of this area with a standard free tissue transfer is not always possible, and locoregional flaps are often failed due to poor quality outcome and mobilization difficulty. CASE REPORT: A case was presented with unilateral distally based latissimus dorsi flaps reconstruction in patient with midline thoracal soft tissue defect underwent kyphosis deformity correction surgery. This study reported a patient, male, 33 years old who was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis and kyphosis deformity. The patient underwent surgical correction of the kyphosis deformity. After 1 month, the patient complained about his open surgical wounds. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: In our institution, this patient underwent second debridement surgery and unilateral reverse latissimus dorsi flap for thoracal soft tissue defect coverage to obtain well-vascularised tissue, with good resistance to bacterial contamination and easy to shape into such defect. After follow-up for 6 months, the patient shows good outcome and postoperative wound healing was favorable. CONCLUSION: We believe that the “reverse” latissimus dorsi flap is a good option to cover this particular region. It is simple, safe, and reliable. It also provides a backup plan for the microsurgery in this region.