THE ADAPTABILITY AND UTILITY OF THE BILOBED TRANSPOSITION FLAP

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

Objective. The purpose of our review is to catalogue the successes of the bilobed flap since it was first described by Esser in 1918, as well as the modifications created by other physicians. Background. The bilobed transposition flap began as a technique to repair the nasal tip. It is an extremely versatile procedure that has expanded its scope over the entire body. Methods. A PubMed Search from 1900 to 2015 for the words “bilobed flap” yielded 132 results—31 of the nose, 7 of the ear, 11 of the forearm, 19 of the hand, 9 of the cheek, 113 of the thorax, 10 of the genitals, 4 of the foot, 13 of the eye, 12 of the mouth, and 3 of the leg. Organizing the new adaptations around their various locations, we demonstrated the wide range of use of the surgical technique. In the 34 cases described, there were new developments in the design and/or use of the bilobed flap. Varying the angle of rotation from the original 180 degrees to 45 degrees, changing the length, and changing the width of the flaps allowed for variability of locations to meet the demand of the anatomy. Results. Each of the cases demonstrated the benefits of bilobed flap technique in allowing ample blood supply, proper healing, and preservation of anatomy. Conclusion. With the ability for the bilobed flap to be modified, the application and location of use are endless. The functional and aesthetic results achieved further validate the use of the bilobed flap in locations beyond its original description as a nasal flap. Grants. N/A