Lumbar Artery Perforator Flap for Breast Reconstruction

The lumbar artery perforator (LAP) free flap is an excellent alternative in autologous breast reconstruction for those patients who are not eligible for the deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEAP) flap, which is still considered the gold standard. Musculocutaneous and adipofascial flaps from the lumbar region have been described since the 1970s; also known as ‘reversed latissimus dorsi flaps’, they were used as pedicled flaps for low lumbar soft tissue defects and decubitus ulcers [1, 2].