Reconstructive ladder
Editors-In-Chief: Martin I. Newman, M.D., FACS, Cleveland Clinic Florida, [1]; Michel C. Samson, M.D., FRCSC, FACS [2]
Overview
The reconstructive ladder is a term coined by reconstructive plastic surgeons to describe levels of increasingly complex management of wounds.[1]
The ladder
There are several small variations in the reconstructive ladder[2][3] in the scientific literature, but the principles remains the same:
Rung 1: healing by secondary intention
Rung 2: primary closure
Rung 3: delayed primary closure
Rung 4: split thickness graft
Rung 5: full thickness skin graft
Rung 6: tissue expansion
Rung 7: random pattern flap
Rung 8: pedicled flap
Rung 9: free flap
References
Cleft lip and palate Microchapters |
Diagnosis |
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Treatment |
Case Studies |
Reconstructive ladder On the Web |
American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Reconstructive ladder |