When the Gastrointestinal Conduit for Total Esophageal Reconstruction Is Not an Option: Review of the Role of Skin Flaps and Report of Salvage With a Single-Stage Tubed Anterolateral Thigh Flap

Abstract

This review adds to the limited body of literature describing the use of skin flaps for reconstruction of the esophagus and includes a report of a successful 1-stage, intrathoracic reconstruction of the cervical and thoracic esophagus after failed gastrointestinal conduit. Already widely used for reconstruction of the pharynx and cervical esophagus, the versatile anterolateral thigh flap can be considered an option for more extensive defects of the cervical and thoracic esophagus in this challenging patient population when gastric, jejunal, or colon conduits are not available. The authors believe the anterolateral thigh flap should be considered in 1-stage anatomic reconstruction of the cervical and thoracic esophagus in the absence of feasible gastrointestinal conduits.