Repair of major defect of the upper extremity with a latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap: a case report.

The latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap was first used by Tansini in 1896 and in recent years has been increasingly used for a wide range of surgical reconstructions, particularly as a free flap transfer. We report a case in which an extensive defect of the left arm and shoulder was resurfaced with a latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap prior to orthopaedic reconstruction of a large defect in the humeral shaft.