[Reverse facial artery-submental artery island myocutaneous flap for reconstruction of oral and maxillofacial defects following cancer ablation].

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the reliability of the reverse facial artery-submental artery island myocutaneous flap for repairing the oral and maxillofacial defects.

METHODS

Eighteen oral and maxillofacial defects were repaired with reverse facial artery-submental artery island myocutaneous flaps following resection of malignant tumors. The ages of the patients ranged from 28 to 90 years; 11 were male and 7 were female. Primary sites of the lesions were the tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (7 cases), buccal mucosa SCC (4 cases), palate SCC (3 cases), oropharyngeal SCC (2 case), and facial skin basal cell carcinoma (2 cases). The sizes of skin paddle varied from a minimum of 4.0 cm x 12.0 cm to a maximum of 5.0 cm x 15.0 cm. The followed-up period was 9 to 18 months (11.8 months on average).

RESULTS

The postoperative outcome for the flaps was 17 cases surviving, one complete necrosis, and one temporary palsy of the marginal mandibular branch of the facial nerve. The form and function of recipient sites were well recovered. The donor site left a well-hidden scar. One case of cervical lymph node metastasis was observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Reverse facial artery-submental artery island myocutaneous flap is reliable for reconstructing medium-sized oral and maxillofacial defects.