Extended Vertical Lower Trapezius Island Myocutaneous Flap in Reconstruction of Oral and Maxillofacial Defects After Salvage Surgery for Recurrent Oral Carcinoma

Chen, Wei-Liang; Li, Jingsong; Yang, Zhaohui; Huang, Zhiquan; Wang, Jianguang; Zhang, Bin

doi:10.1016/j.joms.2005.10.056

« Previous Next »Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Volume 65, Issue 2 , Pages 205-211, February 2007

Extended Vertical Lower Trapezius Island Myocutaneous Flap in Reconstruction of Oral and Maxillofacial Defects After Salvage Surgery for Recurrent Oral Carcinoma

Wei-Liang Chen, DDS, MD, MBA
- Head and Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
- Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr Chen: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, 107 Yan-jiang Road, Guangzhou 510120, China
Jingsong Li, DDS, MD
- Assistant Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Zhaohui Yang, MD
- Lecturer, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Zhiquan Huang, DDS
- Resident, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Jianguang Wang, DDS, MD
- Assistant Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Bin Zhang, DDS, MD
- Assistant Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore an effective repair method for oral and maxillofacial soft-tissue defects after salvage surgery for patients with recurrent oral carcinoma.

Patients and Methods

Eight patients (6 females and 2 males, mean age, 56.9 years) with recurrent oral squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue (n = 4), oral cavity floor (n = 2), and buccal (n = 2) were treated with salvage surgery, and the oral and maxillofacial soft-tissue defects were reconstructed primarily by extended vertical lower trapezius island myocutaneous flap.

Results

No flap failure occurred. The donor sites were closed primarily. There were no disabilities with regard to shoulder motion. Followed up after the operation, the survival period of the patients was 6 to 30 months and the average survival period was 13.1 months. There was 1 recurrent case. All of the patients survived.

Conclusion

The extended vertical lower trapezius island myocutaneous flap, which is a simple, reliable and large flap, can be preferred as a salvage procedure for oral and maxillofacial soft-tissue defects after salvage surgery for patients with recurrent oral squamous cell carcinoma.