Platysma myocutaneous flap for reconstruction of skin defects in the head and neck

The faciocervicopectoral flap for non-oncological cases of cheek reconstruction

“…18 The basics of the platysma myocutaneous flap, which was first used for the reconstruction of intraoral defects nearly 30 years ago, have been used for various head and neck defects. 19 The platysma myocutaneous flap was first introduced by Futrell et al in 1978 20 and Coleman et al in 1983 21 for the reconstruction of a variety of head, face and oral defects. 22 Since then, the use of extraoral platysma flaps has only been described rarely.…”

“…The superior thyroid artery, occipital artery and posterior auricular artery are identified as secondary vessels. The external jugular vein provides the primary venous drainage, together with the submental vein, 19 but has not gained widespread acceptance because of problems with vascularity. 13 Of all these methods, the platysma myocutaneous flap is a good candidate for cheek reconstruction for several reasons.…”

Cheek reconstruction following facial malignant melanoma surgery with the platysma myocutaneous flap

“…Only a few publications have described this method as an option for cheek defect reconstruction. 7 Through our clinical practice, we found this reconstructive method to be reliable and advantageous, especially in comparison to the commonly used radial forearm free flap. It is a straightforward procedure and can be accomplished by most head and neck surgeons.…”

“…Venous drainage of the flap is provided through small anterior communicating veins that drain into the superior thyroid vein, anterior jugular vein, or facial vein. 6,7 Inferiorly based flaps, on the other hand, have excellent venous drainage through the external jugular vein, but lack an arterial blood supply, which comes from the occipital artery. It was thought until recently that fasciocutaneous arterial perforators from the muscle itself supply the overlying skin.…”

“…It is possible to reconstruct skin defects up to 70 cm 2 in size. [6][7][8][9] Patients and methods This consecutive case series included 13 patients and was approved by the University Hospital Bioethics Board (Zagreb); the study complied with the Declaration of Helsinki of 1983 as amended most recently at the 64th World Medical Assembly, Fortaleza, Brazil, in October 2013. All of the patients had cutaneous head and neck melanoma and were treated surgically between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2008 at our national referral centre for head and neck melanoma.…”