Surgical repair of labial defect

Abstract

The main cause of labial defect is carcinological, in 90% of cases involving the lower lip. Reconstruction for labial defect is a therapeutic challenge imposing two main requirements: to achieve good esthetic quality, and to conserve labial function. Steps of defect analysis is proposed. Very numerous techniques have been described that are not exhaustively explained in this surgical review. Thus, the authors suggest reliable, reproducible solutions that should enable the surgeon to deal with most of the labial defect situations encountered in practice, based on consensual indications. Node involvement and alternatives to surgery, such as X-ray therapy, also fall outside the field of the present article.