Free Flap Reconstruction

Free flaps are complete transplants. The tissue is freed from the body, and then reattached to the chest with microsurgical techniques. This is technically more demanding and requires special surgical skill. The free flap uses the same tissue as the pedicled flap, but takes only a small amount of the muscle surrounding the blood vessels. Free flaps can be taken from the abdomen (free TRAM) and the buttock (gluteal flap).