RT Book, Section A1 Wang, Theresa Y. A1 Chu, Michael A1 McCarthy, Colleen M. A2 Bristow, Robert E. A2 Chi, Dennis S. SR Print(0) ID 1115055972 T1 Rectus Abdominis Flaps and Pudendal Thigh and Related Flaps T2 Radical and Reconstructive Gynecologic Cancer Surgery YR 2015 FD 2015 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9780071808095 LK obgyn.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1115055972 RD 2024/10/14 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.