Reconstruction of long cervical esophageal defects with the radial forearm flap.

The radial forearm flap has been used for reconstruction of the cervical esophagus most often as a patch or for circumferential repair of short defects (less than 5 cm). In the following three cases, the radial forearm flap was used to reconstruct circumferential cervical esophageal defects ranging from 5 to 12 mm in length. These procedures were successfully carried out in three patients in whom the intraoperative defect was unexpectedly large or the intra-abdominal viscera harvest would have been difficult. These patients had reliable esophageal function 8 to 24 months after surgery. We conclude that the radial forearm flap can be used for reconstruction of large circumferential defects of the cervical esophagus.