TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Rectus Abdominis Flaps and Pudendal Thigh and Related Flaps A1 - Wang, Theresa Y. A1 - Chu, Michael A1 - McCarthy, Colleen M. A2 - Bristow, Robert E. A2 - Chi, Dennis S. Y1 - 2015 N1 - T2 - Radical and Reconstructive Gynecologic Cancer Surgery AB - Reconstruction of the vulvovaginal and pelvic region can be a complex and formidable undertaking. Defects from oncologic resection can be extensive and variable. The increasing use of adjuvant radiation therapy and chemotherapy further adds to the challenge of achieving uncomplicated wound healing. Trends indicate that patients are being diagnosed with gynecologic malignancies at younger ages, and with better treatments, long-term survival has increased.1,2,3,4 Longer survival results in a higher risk of local recurrence, which can complicate reconstruction, because the operative field in such patients is often scarred and radiated. The goals of reconstructing vaginal defects are manifold: to restore normal anatomy, to facilitate primary wound healing, to fill in dead space in the pelvis with healthy tissue, to restore support of the pelvic floor, and to create a neovagina that allows for sexual activity. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/10/14 UR - obgyn.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1115055972 ER -