Versatility of the reverse lateral arm flap in the treatment of post-burn antecubital contractures

If they are not managed with proper treatment and rehabilitation, full thickness burns involving the cubital fossa may result in severe contractures that may impair upper extremity functions. Later release of these contractures discloses a large soft tissue defect that should be replaced. We used reverse lateral arm flaps for coverage of the cubital fossa in 11 selected cases of antecubital contracture. Ten flaps survived totally while we experienced one distal partial necrosis, which was later treated by skin grafting. We achieved considerable functional improvements in all cases. Although fasciocutaneous flaps offer the advantage of using regional tissue in a single stage, few versatile local flaps relying on the vascular anatomy around the elbow joint are available for cubital fossa coverage. Being a rapid, easy and one-staged procedure with no necessities for sacrifice of a major artery or muscle and for a long-term immobilization of the involved joints, reverse lateral arm flaps appears to be advantageous in comparison to other options for coverage of the cubital fossa defects after the release of antecubital contractures.