Bilateral Subcutaneous Pedicled Nasolabial Island Flap for Total Reconstruction of the Lower Lip

Abstract

Squamous cell carcinomas are the most common cancer of the lower lip. In most cases, the tumor is small and occupies less than a third of the lower lip, so the defect created can be closed with a primary suture without altering the esthetics and function of the lower lip. However, there is a percentage of large tumors that affect more than two thirds of the lower lip, in which the primary suture is insufficient to correct the defect created by resection of the tumor. Therefore, these cases require more complex reconstructions using facial locoregional flaps. Hence, in this article, the authors present a total reconstruction of the lower lip with a bilateral subcutaneous pedicled nasolabial island flap after complete resection of a squamous cell carcinoma with involvement of the entire lower lip.