Use of the rhomboid major muscle flap for esophageal repair.

A 16-year-old boy sustained vehicular blunt trauma with delayed esophageal rupture that resulted in empyema and an esophagopleurocutaneous fistula. Diverting esophagostomy, gastrotomy, and transpyloric jejunostomy were performed, and these procedures permitted satisfactory nutritional support of the patient. Staged direct closure of the esophagus buttressed by a rhomboid muscle flap preserved normal esophageal function. Both clinical application and cadaver dissections have demonstrated that the rhomboid flap has an excellent blood supply and that it can be used to repair lesions on either side in the upper half of the esophagus. Because this flap is extrathoracic, it is not usually distorted by intrathoracic sepsis or previous thoracic incisions. The rhomboid major muscle flap is an excellent alternative to conventional autogenous grafts for esophageal repair.