The groin flap revisited--what the textbooks do not tell.

The groin flap remains an excellent choice as a distant pedicled, or free microvascular flap for soft-tissue coverage of the hand because of its reliable arterial-venous pedicle and minimal donor site morbidity. Although interest has waxed and waned over the years, a number of valuable aids have been developed that have added to the success of the flap. Some of these aids, which do not yet appear in the textbooks, are briefly reviewed.