Extended latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flaps for extremely wide cervical skin defects involving the cervical esophagus.

Two cases using island distally and anteriorly extended latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flaps for one-stage reconstruction of pharyngoesophageal defects of the entire front of the neck are reported. The advantage of this flap is its extremely large skin territory, which provides a reliable vascular supply. This flap is suitable for extremely wide cervical defects where the recipient vessels are damaged after severe infection and irradiation.