A variety of patient-mix and operative factors are likely related to the development of donor site wound complications. Width of the skin paddle alone is not a reliable criterion for determining the need to skin graft the donor site. Primary closure tended to result in a higher rate of both major and minor wound complications compared with split-thickness skin grafting. Primary closure of fibula donor site defects should be undertaken if this can be accomplished with no tension along the suture line. If tension at the suture line is present, a skin graft should be strongly considered to minimize the possibility of a wound complication. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2000;126:1467-1472

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First bite syndrome is a well-described sequelae of parapharyngeal space surgery, thought to result from sympathetic denervation of the parotid gland. We describe a case of first bite syndrome caused by an adenoid cystic carcinoma of the submandibular gland. The tumor was not clinically or radiographically apparent until 18 months after initial presentation despite repeated imaging. In patients with first bite syndrome and no surgical history, there must be high suspicion for a malignancy, which may be occult on presentation. The submandibular gland should be considered as a possible site of a lesion.

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Large palatomaxillary and oromandibular defects have a dramatic impact on speech, deglutition, mastication, and cosmesis. Traditional methods of reconstruction, such as locoregional flaps, free bone grafts, alloplastic materials, and prosthetic devices, have difficulty providing meaningful aesthetic and functional reconstruction of these defects. This article discusses current concepts in the reconstruction of large composite palatomaxillary and oromandibular defects with an emphasis on the role of free tissue transfer, including the factors to be evaluated when choosing a method of reconstruction, indications for specific donor sites, and recent technical refinements.