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Joseph W. Walike, MD; Wayne F. Larrabee, Jr, MD

Arch Otolaryngol. 1985;111(7):430-433.

Abstract
• A versatile local skin flap for the closure of facial defects is presented. A tangent is drawn to the edge of a circular defect parallel to the relaxed skin tension lines for a distance of 1.5 diameter (d); a second line of length d is drawn at 50° to 60° to the first to create a triangular flap. The final flap design when drawn resembles an eighth note. The tip of the flap is de-epithelialized to facilitate closure. Two opposing flaps can be used for a larger defect if desired. In a series of 20 consecutive patients, the mean length of the first side of the flap was 1.4d, the length of the second was 1.1d, and the mean tip angle was 50.3°. The area of this average flap is approximately 75% of the area of the circular defect. Skin deformation measured on piglets showed the major tension vector to be perpendicular to the tangential side of the triangular flap.

(Arch Otolaryngol 1985;111:430-433)

Author Affiliations
From The Mason Clinic, Seattle (Dr Larrabee). Dr Walike is in private practice in Seattle.

Footnotes
Accepted for publication March 20, 1985.

Read before the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Las Vegas, Sept 11, 1984.

Reprint requests to The Mason Clinic, 1100 Ninth Ave, Seattle, WA 98101 (Dr Larrabee).

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