Lateral Caudal Axial Pattern Flap in dogs

Large wounds that do not allow primary closure require the use of other reconstruction techniques. Axial pattern flaps are local skin flaps that include a direct cutaneous artery and vein in their base. These enable us to transfer a large section of skin into an adjacent defect, providing viable tissue to cover an extensive wound.

This retrospective study gives a detailed account of how a lateral caudal axial pattern flap was used to close large skin defects in the dorsum, gluteal, and perineal area of 13 dogs. Eleven dogs required reconstruction after tumor removal and two of them had skin defects due to trauma.

Four dogs presented short term complications following surgery. Two of them required additional care, one for mild dehiscence and the other one for distal flap necrosis. These were considered minor postoperative complications. The two remaining dogs presented the same complications, but in their particular case, a new surgery was needed to achieve definitive closure. The authors recommend care when the lateral caudal axial pattern flap exceeds 60% of the tail length, as there are higher chances of distal flap necrosis.

The flaps were completely healed one month after surgery and no long term complications were observed in any of these dogs.

In Montinaro, V., Massari, F., Vezzoni, L., Liptak, J. M., Straw, R. C., Allen, L., Cavanaugh, R. P., Berg, J., Doyle, R. S., Buracco, P. and Romanelli, G. (2015), Lateral caudal axial pattern flap in 13 dogs. Veterinary Surgery, 44: 642–647. doi:10.1111/j.1532-950X.2014.12305.x