Factors to Consider When Deciding on the Type of Free-Flap Reconstruction of Head and Neck Soft Tissue Defects.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the study was to evaluate the functional and aesthetic outcomes on donor and recipient sites and to determine the effects of technical factors including flap thickness and vessel diameters measured by ultrasonography as well as the size of the defect and postoperative volume reduction of the flaps measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

METHODS

In patients who had undergone soft tissue reconstructive surgery between March 2013 and March 2016 using 55 anterolateral thigh flaps (ALTFs), 30 radial forearm flaps (RFFs), and 18 latissimus dorsi flaps (LDFs), color Doppler ultrasonography was performed to measure the thickness of the flap at the site of the perforator. Preoperative color Doppler ultrasound examinations of the blood vessel diameters of donor and recipient sites were carried out.

RESULTS

97.1% of flaps showed complete survival and 2.9% complete failure (2 ALTFs and 1 LDF). The difference in flap volume of ALTFs, RFFs, and LDFs between MRI 1 (3-6 weeks) and MRI 2 (6-18 months) was 27.6, 17.9, and 36.1%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Proper selection of the flap is important for the optimization of the aesthetic and functional outcomes. Ultrasound, the surgeon's experience and the extension and nature of the defect play a key role in the selection of the flap.