Free-tissue transfer has revolutionized skull-base surgery by expanding the ability to perform cranial base resection and by improving the quality of reconstruction. The anterolateral thigh flap has come recently into use in the field of head and neck reconstruction. Its role in craniofacial and midface reconstruction has not been specifically defined. This study involved a total of 18 patients who were treated over a 5-year period from 1998 to 2003. Seventeen patients had locally advanced head and neck cancer, requiring craniofacial resection, and one patient had a complicated gun shot wound of the forehead. Thirteen patients were treated at the National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Egypt, and five patients at the University of Miami, Florida. The patients presented with defects of the anterior skull base (5), lateral skull base (3), scalp and calvarium (3), and the midface (7). The anterolateral thigh flap was used as a myocutaneous flap in 11 cases and as a perforator fasciocutaneous flap in seven cases. Musculocutaneous perforators supplied the majority of flaps (17/18). Total flap survival occurred in 17 cases; one patient developed complete flap necrosis. The most commonly used recipient vessels were the facial vessels and the external jugular vein. Major complications included one case with meningitis; the patient died after failure of treatment. Another patient died 6 weeks postoperatively from pulmonary embolism. One patient developed CSF leak that stopped spontaneously. In addition, two patients developed minor wound dehiscence that healed spontaneously. The donor-site wound healed without problems except in two cases. One patient had an incomplete take of the skin graft; the other developed wound infection and superficial sloughing. Both wounds healed spontaneously. In addition to the feasibility of simultaneous flap harvesting with tumor resection, the flap's advantage in skull base reconstruction is its reliable blood supply, which can provide adequate dural cover and protection of the brain. Its size and moderate thickness are suitable for reconstruction of scalp and calvarial defects. The abundance of reliably vascularized fat in the flap may be an advantage in long-term maintenance of the volume of the flap in midface reconstruction. Similar to other soft tissue flaps, additional skeletal reconstruction may still be required to achieve an optimal functional and aesthetic result.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of free-tissue transfers for the reconstruction of radiation-induced complex injuries. The case files for patients who underwent reconstruction for radiation-induced injuries between May 1988 and November 1995 at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center were retrospectively reviewed. Thirty patients in whom 33 free flaps were done were included. Radiation-induced defects were located in the head and neck (n=23), extremities (n=4), chest wall (n=2), and inguinal area (n=1) The mean period between irradiation and injury was 78 months (range: 4 months to 38 years). Free-tissue transfer was successful in 97 percent (32/33) of patients. The overall complication rate was 40 percent (12/30). Flap donor sites included the fibula (n=12), latissimus dorsi (n=6), rectus abdominis (n=6), iliac crest (n=4), scapula (n=3), and radial forearm (n=2). Large-caliber vessels in the cervical, axillary, or inguinal regions were most commonly used to revascularize flaps. Vein grafts were used in five cases for the artery (2/5) or vein (3/5). Pedicle thrombosis occurred in three cases in recipient vessels located within the irradiated field. Two flaps were salvaged; one was lost, and the patient required a second free-flap reconstruction The mean follow-up was 40 months (range: 2.5 to 83 months). The disease-free survival rate was 67 percent (20/30), local failures occurred in 10 percent (3/30) of patients, and 23.3 percent (7/30) of patients either died or were lost to follow-up. Healing of radiation-induced wounds may be achieved using free-tissue transfers, but complications are frequent. Large-caliber irradiated vessels may be used to revascularize flaps, but there may be an increased risk of pedicle thrombosis.
Over the past decade, free-tissue transfer has greatly improved the quality of oncology-related head and neck reconstruction. As this technique has developed, second free flaps have been performed for aesthetic improvement of the reconstructed site. This study evaluated the indications for and the success of second free flaps. Medical files for patients who underwent second free flaps for head and neck reconstruction at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, from May 1, 1988 to November 30, 1996, were reviewed. The flaps were classified as being either immediate (done within 72 hr) or delayed (done within 2 years) reconstructions. Indications, risk factors, recipient vessels, outcome, and complications were analyzed. Of the 28 patients included in this study, 12 had immediate (nine as salvage after primary free flap failure, and three for reconstruction of a soft-tissue defect), and 16 had delayed second free flaps (two for reconstruction of a defect resulting from excision of recurrent tumors, and 14 for aesthetic improvement). Reconstruction sites included the oral cavity in 18 patients; the midface in six; the skull base in two; and the scalp in two. The success rate for the second free flaps was 96 percent. Five patients had significant wound complications. In a substantial number of cases, identical recipient vessels were used for both the first and second free flaps. The authors conclude that second free flaps can play an important role in salvaging or improving head and neck reconstruction in selected patients. In many cases, the same recipient vessels can be used for both the first and second flaps.
Objective: This study attempted to investigate the importance of diffusion weighted (DW)-echo planar imaging (EPI) in the characterization of normal parotid glands to facilitate the early detection of abnormal changes.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate blood flow and transcutaneous partial oxygen pressure (TcPO(2)) in adjacent tissues to free and pedicled flaps following reconstructive procedures used in conjunction with radical surgery for head and neck cancers. Fifty patients were included. Fourteen patients had reconstruction with pedicled flaps and 36 with free flaps. For each patient, TcPO(2) and laser Doppler flow measurements were taken at the center of the flap, in adjacent tissue, and in a corresponding contralateral site. Three laser Doppler measurements were performed at each site and a mean value recorded. All patients had undergone reconstruction up to 6 months prior to the time of the measurements. The collected data were analyzed using a Wilcoxon signed rank test. There were no statistically significant differences in partial oxygen tension or laser Doppler values between tissues adjacent to free compared to pedicled flaps. Although there is strong evidence to support that free flaps have improved blood flow and partial oxygen tension over pedicled flaps, further study is required to evaluate adjacent tissues. Flap choice may assist with alteration in blood flow in less favorable defects such as those in previously irradiated fields and those resulting from burn scars or chronic infections.
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