PRINCIPLES OF LOCAL FLAPS IN

PLASTIC SURGERY
Definition :
A flap is a unit of tissue that is transferred from donor site
to recipient site while maintaining its own blood supply

Term ”Flap”:
Originated from the 16th century Dutch word “FLAPPE”
which means “anything that hung broad and loose, fastened only
by one side”.
BASED ON LOCATION OF DONOR SITE

LOCAL FLAP : DISTANT FLAP :

Flap transferred from Flap transferred from
an area adjacent to the an noncontiguous
defect anatomic site.
 CLASSIFICATION OF FLAP

BLOOD
SUPPLY

METHOD OF
LOCAL FLAP
MOVEMENT

COMPOSITION
 LOCAL FLAP

Local flaps can

be classified
based on their
blood supply

Random flap Axial Flap

 Classification of
local flap based on
the method of
movement

ADVANCEMENT INTERPOLATION
PIVOT FLAP
FLAP FLAP
 CLASSIFICATION OF LOCAL FLAPS ON
THE BASIS OF COMPOSITION

• Local flaps can also be categorized based on composition

• The composition of the defect to be reconstructed should
dictate the correct somposition of the flap used for
reconstruction
• It includes :
1. Cutaneous
2. Fasciocutaneous
3. Musculocutaneous