Vulvar reconstruction in vulvar cancer: “lotus petal” suprafascial flap

Abstract

The purposes of this study are to demonstrate our experience in using the “lotus petal” suprafascial flap and to evaluate the postoperative complications. During the period ranging from July 2012 to March 2015, nine patients diagnosed with primary or recurrent vulvar cancer have undergone radical vulvectomy followed by reconstructive surgery. Seventeen lotus petal suprafascial flap surgeries were performed. The average age of the patients was 79 years. No intraoperative complications were reported. The surgery length was 180 min with an estimated blood loss of 400 cc. Severe postoperative complications were rare. There were no complications associated with the donor site, nor were there any losses due to total or partial flap tissue necrosis. There were 2 (22.2 %) cases of partial wound dehiscence, which did not require re-intervention. The lotus petal suprafascial flap is a simple procedure that can be done during the same surgery as the radical vulvectomy, improving the aesthetic results and reducing both the rate of complications and hospital stay.