The horizontal reconstructive ladder

Abstract

The reconstructive ladder has been a traditional teaching model for the selection of reconstructive surgery options for many years. Some publications in recent decades have proposed that the reconstructive ladder is no longer applicable, because many new adjunctive reconstructive options are difficult to incorporate into it. An alternative method of thinking about the integration of these adjunctive techniques in the reconstructive ladder is the horizontal reconstructive ladder. This ladder, as an adjunct to the traditional vertical reconstructive ladder, has the potential and vertical adaptability to assist in teaching the reconstructive arsenal of the plastic surgeon.