What is "flap necrosis"?

What is "flap necrosis"?

Steve Fallek (Plastic Surgeon & Medical Director, Face Focus Medical Spa, New York City) gives expert video advice on: What are the risks associated with plastic surgery?; What is "flap necrosis"?; What is a "seroma"? and more...

When we talk about reconstructive surgery, we are often doing a flap or rotating tissue to cover a defect in part of the body, whether it's the head and neck, face, or trunk areas. If part of the flap doesn't survive, because it depends on its blood supply, it can die. This is what in medical terms is called flap necrosis. A small part of flap necrosis is acceptable, be we as plastic surgeons don't want the entire flap to necrose, or die.