Colgajo radial: experiencia del equipo de Cirugía Plástica de la Universidad de Chile

background: radial forearm flap is extraordinarily versatile thanks to its irrigation by the radial artery and its minor pedicles. it provides assorted alternatives for the reconstruction of proximal or distal defects of the arm and can be used as a free flap in head, neck, posterior trunk region, lower limb, esophagus and penis. it allows the incorporation of bone, tendons, nerves and muscle for complex lesion repair. aim: to report our experience with radial forearm flap. patients and methods: ten patients aged 20 to 65 years (four women) are reported. the lesions repaired were traumatic in four, infectious in three, secondary to tumors in two (a squamous intra oral adenocarcinoma in both patients) and vascular in one patient. results: no patient had a partial or total loss of the flap. five patients required complementary dermo epidermic grafts in a second intervention. mean hospital stay was 30 days. all patients reported a favorable degree of satisfaction with the procedure. conclusions: radial forearm flaps are a good alternative for the repair of a great variety of lesions.