Background and purpose: The standard of care to reconstruct segmental oro-mandibular defects following head and neck oncological resection is to use osseocutaneous free-tissue transfer. Some patients however are not suitable for this type of complex reconstruction. The purpose of this paper is to study our results of soft-tissue flap reconstruction for segmental hemi-mandibular defects.
Patients and methods: Ten patients were included in the study, all had advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx or oral cavity and all had hemimandibulectomies.
Results: In eight cases a vertical rectus abdominis myocutaneous (VRAM) free flap was used and in two cases a pectoralis major myocutaneous pedicled flap was used. Normal oral feeding was achieved in six patients with a mean time for discontinuation of tube feeding of 18 days.
Conclusion: In selected patients with severe comorbidity and advanced oro-mandibular cancer, soft tissue flaps may be used for segmental hemi-mandibular defects.
Key words: Oral cavity cancer - Free tissue transfer.