Turned in fasciocutaneous island flap from face and neck based on subdermal microcirculation for reconstruction of the oral cavity following cancer surgery

Abstract

Background:The skin and soft tissues of the face and neck have a rich plexus of dermal-subdermal vessels, which creates the possibility of raising a fasciocutaneous flap based on this vascular supply. A turned in fasciocutaneous island flap (TIFCIF) from an adjacent area of the defect can provide a simple substitute to many complex reconstructive procedures.Materials and Methods:Fifteen patients underwent wide excision for oral cancer and upper neck dissection, maintaining bone framework, between August 2010 and June 2014. The reconstruction was done with a ’turned in fasciocutaneous island flap’ (TIFCIF) from the upper neck-lower face based on subdermal superficial adipofascial microvascular network instead of a specific known feeder vessel. The upper cervical flap, the donor site, when raised during the initial incision and the upper neck dissection, was cut off from the facial artery, the submental artery, the superior thyroid and the transverse cervical arteries. The microcirculation depended largely on the rich vascular plexus formed of the branches of the superficial temporal and the maxillary arteries. The donor site was primarily closed in Fourteen of the Fifteen patients. Eight patients received post-surgery irradiation.Results:All the flaps survived and healed and withstood radiation well. Two patients had flap dehiscence from suture line, of which one needed reattachment while other a minor one healed by itself and one patient had occasional drooling. There was no difficulty in eating or swallowing.Conclusions:A random patterned TIFCIF based on superficial subdermal adipofascial microcirculation, formed of a rich vascular plexus in the face and neck region can provide a simple alternative for intraoral reconstruction.