Abstract:Reconstructive surgery in the management of head and neck cancer has evolved to include structure-specific approaches in which organ-specific treatment algorithms help optimize outcomes. Tongue cancer management and reconstruction are surgical challenges for which well-executed reconstructive plans should be completed promptly to avoid delaying any subsequently planned oncologic treatment. Crucial considerations in tongue cancer resection are the significant functional morbidity associated with surgical defect… Show more
“…The radial forearm free flap (RFFF) is used widely to reconstruct the head and neck area. This flap is thin and has excellent pliability, ease of flap elevation, and a long pedicle length [1,2]. The radial artery originates from the brachial artery, where it bifurcates in the cubital fossa.…”
The radial forearm free flap (RFFF) has become popular for head and neck reconstructions. Owing to a constant anatomy the RFFF is relatively easy to dissect. Nevertheless, anatomical variations of the radial artery have been reported. Some variations could affect the survival of the flap. This paper reports an unusual anomaly of the radial artery where the radial artery was not located between the brachioradialis (BR) and flexor carpi radialis. The radial artery was observed above the BR and on the radial side of the BR. The survival of the elevated flap was deemed questionable because it had only few perforators. So we decided to discard the flap and to elevate another free flap for the head and neck defect. The donor area on the forearm was covered using the original skin of the first flap as a full-thickness skin graft. This case highlights a means to deal with anomalies of the radial artery encountered during the elevation of RFFF and the checking process for variations of the radial artery before RFFF.Abbreviation: 3D, 3-dimensional; BR, brachioradialis; FCR, flexor carpi radialis; RFFF, radial forearm free flap
“…The radial forearm free flap (RFFF) is used widely to reconstruct the head and neck area. This flap is thin and has excellent pliability, ease of flap elevation, and a long pedicle length [1,2]. The radial artery originates from the brachial artery, where it bifurcates in the cubital fossa.…”
The radial forearm free flap (RFFF) has become popular for head and neck reconstructions. Owing to a constant anatomy the RFFF is relatively easy to dissect. Nevertheless, anatomical variations of the radial artery have been reported. Some variations could affect the survival of the flap. This paper reports an unusual anomaly of the radial artery where the radial artery was not located between the brachioradialis (BR) and flexor carpi radialis. The radial artery was observed above the BR and on the radial side of the BR. The survival of the elevated flap was deemed questionable because it had only few perforators. So we decided to discard the flap and to elevate another free flap for the head and neck defect. The donor area on the forearm was covered using the original skin of the first flap as a full-thickness skin graft. This case highlights a means to deal with anomalies of the radial artery encountered during the elevation of RFFF and the checking process for variations of the radial artery before RFFF.Abbreviation: 3D, 3-dimensional; BR, brachioradialis; FCR, flexor carpi radialis; RFFF, radial forearm free flap
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