The latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap can provide a large, reliable flap for reconstruction of various areas of the body. This flap can also be extended quite some way over the anterior and upper border of the muscle, although its width is limited to between 10 cm and 12 cm if direct closure of the donor site defect is required. This paper presents a sliding-shaped modification of the latissimus dorsi flap that enables the flap to be used efficiently in covering a wide defect as well as in correcting the donor site defect.Sawaizumi M, Maruyama Y. Sliding shape-designed latissimus dorsi flap. Ann Plast Surg 1997;38:41-45