V-Y island flaps for repair of large perianal defects.

BACKGROUND: Some perianal diseases such as Paget disease and Bowen disease are extensive and require a wide circumferential excision including the entire anoderm of the anal canal. METHODS: We describe a technique of V-Y island flaps to cover the large perianal defects and the denuded anal canal. It is important to excise the base of the flaps in order to fit them into the anal canal. RESULTS: There were 10 women and 5 men with an average age of 54 years (range 32 to 77). The mean follow-up was 45 months (range 6 to 92). The underlying pathology included various kinds of neoplastic and nonneoplastic diseases. There were no major complications such as flap loss or infection. Most complications were minor, including superficial wound separation, flap hematoma, and anal stricture. Although initially all patients had some degree of incontinence for gas and liquid stool or discharge, none of them had significant fecal incontinence at the time of last follow-up. A diverting ileostomy or colostomy was created in 5 patients. Its role was not clear but it did help in the management of the wounds and minimized the pain.