Objective: To present a modified technique in the harvest and application of split-thickness skin graft (STSG) from the primary flap donor site in forearm fasciocutaneous free flaps.
Methods: A prospective review was performed on 16 consecutive patients who had undergone a radial forearm free flap procedure for reconstruction of head and neck defects with a hinged forearm STSG used to reconstruct the flap donor site defect.
Results: Sixteen patients with a mean (SD) defect size of 53.7 (29.9) cm(2) underwent the hinged STSG procedure. A hinged STSG was successfully harvested from all patients without disruption. Graft take was greater than 90% in all patients by postoperative day 7. A secondary skin graft donor site was avoided in all but 2 patients. Good color match of the deepithelialized flap with surrounding oral and pharyngeal mucosa was observed. Visible scarring along the graft hinge margin was absent. No bridging scars resulted from the deepithelialized flaps.
Conclusions: The hinged STSG from the forearm is a reliable method of repairing radial forearm free flap donor site defects and offers the advantages of reduced suture line scarring, minimal STSG disruption, low or no secondary donor site morbidity, and good color match at the donor and recipient flap sites.