Characteristics and surgical management of flap compromise caused by thrombosis of the internal jugular vein.

BACKGROUND

A principal reason for flap compromise in oral and maxillofacial head and neck surgery, and failure of a free flap transfer, is thrombosis of a drainage vein such as the internal jugular vein. This study characterized flap compromise caused by internal jugular vein thrombosis after a free flap transfer, and its management.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A retrospective clinical study was conducted of 306 consecutive microvascular free flaps performed for 305 patients with head and neck cancer from March 2003 to March 2013 at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Beijing Stomatological Hospital, Capital Medical University.

RESULTS

Vascular thrombosis developed postoperatively in 18 of the 306 free flaps (5.9%): 1 arterial and 17 venous. Of the latter, in 10 patients the thrombosis occurred at the anastomosis site; in 7 patients internal jugular vein thrombosis was detected during emergent reexploration (4 radial forearm free flaps, 1 fibular flap, and 2 anterior lateral thigh flaps). The 4 cases involving radial forearm free flaps were salvaged successfully by venous transfer to bridge the reflow vein to the anterior jugular vein, or removal of the thrombosis in the internal jugular vein and re-anastomosis. The remaining 3 cases of internal jugular vein thrombosis were not salvaged: 2 defects were reconstructed with major pectoralis myocutaneous flaps, and the other was closed directly without reconstruction.

CONCLUSIONS

In oral and maxillofacial head and neck cancer surgery, postoperative thrombosis of the internal jugular vein can result in failure of the free flap transfer.