• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.9-14
• /
• 2008

The most important concern to do parotidectomy is correct identification of the facial nerve and preservation of the nerve function. Many descriptions for the localization and branching types of the facial nerve trunk have existed. During the parotid surgery, it is necessary to have knowledges about the incidence and prognostic aspect of a invasion of the facial nerve by the parotid tumors. The method of the dissection and the surgical extent of the parotid gland would be decided not only by the anatomic variation of the facial nerve. but also the size and location of the tumor. Invasion of the facial nerve in parotid malignancies is the most significant factors affecting the prognosis, so radical parotidectomy which consists of the total extirpation of the parotid gland in conjunction with resection of the facial nerve is often required for proper management. Radical parotidectomy is advocated for the surgical treatment of high grade malignancies and in selective recurrent benign tumors intimately involving the facial nerve. Unfortunately, the morphologic and functional deficits created by sacrificing the facial nerve can be emotionally and physically traumatizing to the patient. Therefore, when the facial nerve is sacrificed, immediate reconstruction of the facial nerve should be necessary. Immediate nerve repair with direct anastomosis of the resected nerve ends or placement of a cable nerve graft provides the better cosmetic and functional results. Surgical resection remains the mainstay of treatment for cancer of the parotid gland, and there is general agreement that facial nerve should not be sacrificed unless the tumor is adherent to, or surrounds the nerve. The following statement is described general principles of troublesome management of the facial nerve during surgery for parotid tumor.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• /
• v.38
• /
• pp.46.1-46.7
• /
• 2016

Background: Osteoradionecrosis is the most dreadful complication after head and neck irradiation. Orocutaneous fistula makes patients difficult to eat food. Fibular free flap is the choice of the flap for mandibular reconstruction. Osteocutaneous flap can reconstruct both hard and soft tissues simultaneously. This study was to investigate the success rate and results of the free fibular flap for osteoradionecrosis of the mandible and which side of the flap should be harvested for better reconstruction. Methods: A total of eight consecutive patients who underwent fibula reconstruction due to jaw necrosis from March 2008 to December 2015 were included in this study. Patients were classified according to stages, primary sites, radiation dose, survival, and quality of life. Results: Five male and three female patients underwent operation. The mean age of the patients was 60.1 years old. Two male patients died of recurred disease of oral squamous cell carcinoma. The mean dose of radiation was 70.5 Gy. All fibular free flaps were survived. Five patients could eat normal diet after operation; however, three patients could eat only soft diet due to loss of teeth. Five patients reported no change of speech after operation, two reported worse speech ability, and one patient reported improved speech after operation. The ipsilateral side of the fibular flap was used when intraoral soft tissue defect with proximal side of the vascular pedicle is required. The contralateral side of the fibular flap was used when extraoral skin defect with proximal side of the vascular pedicle is required. Conclusions: Osteonecrosis of the jaw is hard to treat because of poor healing process and lack of vascularity. Free fibular flap is the choice of the surgery for jaw bone reconstruction and soft tissue fistula repair. The design and selection of the right or left fibular is dependent on the available vascular pedicle and soft tissue defect sites.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.17-23
• /
• 2019

Background: The resection of head and neck cancer can result in postoperative defect. Many patients have difficulty swallowing and masticating, and some have difficulty speaking. Various types of flaps are used for palatal reconstruction, but flap selection remains controversial. Therefore, our study will suggest which flap to choose during palatal reconstruction. Methods: Thirteen patients who underwent palatal reconstruction from 30 January, 1989 to 4 October, 2016 at our institution. Size was classified as small when the width was < $4cm^2$, medium when it was $4-6cm^2$, and large when it was ${\geq}6cm^2$. Based on speech evaluation, the subjects were divided into a normal group and an easily understood group. After surgery, we assessed whether flap selection was appropriate through the evaluation of flap success, complications, and speech evaluation. Results: Defect size ranged from $1.5{\times}2.0cm$ to $5.0{\times}6.0cm$. In four cases, the defect was in the anterior third of the palate, in eight cases it was in the middle, and there was one case of whole palatal defect. There were three small defects, two medium-sized defects, and eight large defects. Latissimus dorsi free flaps were used in six of the eight large defects in the study. Conclusion: The key to successful reconstructive surgery is appropriate selection of the flap with reference to the characteristics of the defect. Depending on the size and location of the defect, the profiles of different flaps should be matched with the recipient from the outset.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
• /
• v.19 no.1
• /
• pp.41-46
• /
• 2003

Background and Objectives: Surgical ablation of tumors in the oral cavity and the oropharynx results in a three dimensional defect because of the needs to resect the adjacent area for the surgical margin. Although a variety of techniques are available, radial forearm free flap has been known as an effective method for this defect, which offers a thin, pliable, and relatively hairless skin and a long vascular pedicle. We report the clinical results of our 54 consecutive radial forearm free flaps used for oral cavity and oropharynx cancers. Materials and Methods: We reviewed the medical records of patients who were offered intraoral reconstruction with a radial forearm free flap after ablative surgery for oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers from August 1994 to February 2003 and analyzed surgical methods, flap survival rate, complication, and functional results. Among these, 20 cases were examined with modified barium swallow to evaluate postoperative swallowing function and other 8 cases with articulation and resonance test for speech. We examined recovery of sensation with two-point discrimination test in 15 cases who were offered sensate flaps. Results: The primary sites were as follows : mobile tongue (18), tonsil (17), floor of mouth (4), base of tongue (2), soft palate (2), retromolar trigone (3), buccal mucosa (1), oro-hypopharynx (6), and lower lip (1). The paddles of flaps were tailored in multilobed designs from oval shape to tetralobed design and in variable size according to the defects after ablation. This procedures resulted in satisfactory flap success rate (96.3%) and showed good swallowing function and social speech. Eight of 15 cases (53.3%) who had offered sensate flap showed recovery of sensation between 1 and 6 postoperative months (average 2.6 month). Conclusion: The reconstruction with radial forearm free flap might be an excellent method for the maximal functional results after ablative surgery of oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers that results in multidimensional defect.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• /
• v.31 no.6
• /
• pp.526-530
• /
• 2009

Recently, the anterolateral thigh(ALT) flap, based on the septocutaneous vessels or musculocutaneous perforators from the descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery has gained popularity in head and neck soft-tissue reconstruction. It has some advantages in free-flap surgery with respect to the radial forearm free flap, such as low donor site morbidity, availability of different tissues with large amounts of skin, adaptability as a sensate or flow-through flap (with the possibility of harvesting a long pedicle with a suitable vessel diameter). Moreover, the thickness of the flap is adjustable until the subdermal fat level, allowing it to be used as a thin or ultrathin flap. This clinical cases are ALT free flap reconstructions without functional impairment of the donor limbs (transitory and permanent) based on anastomosis with superficial temporal arteries and veins in patient of huge resection defect on face, lip and tongue.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.198-201
• /
• 2023

Maintaining the patency of the external auditory canal (EAC) during reconstruction is important because of its physiological role in hearing and immunological protective functions. The curved shape of the EAC presents a challenge when performing a skin graft. One of the key points for a successful skin graft is to ensure compression on the wound bed, and many novel methods, including prefabricated ear molds, have been reported for this purpose. In this study, we present a case of a skin graft performed to reconstruct a skin defect following excision of actinic keratosis in the EAC, using the cover of an ear thermometer probe as a mold for the graft to match the curvature of the EAC. This is an economical and practical method for secure compression dressing of a skin graft in the EAC.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.37-42
• /
• 2011

Purpose: Cancer arising from the external auditory canal is a rare disease. A lesion that seems harmless in someway, can be lethal when inadequately excised, the tumor may infiltrate nerves, the parotid and auditory tissues before re-invading the skin. Wide resection of the lesion surrounding the structure and reconstruction with an adequate plan is crucial for the treatment of this disease. Methods: Two patients with external auditory canal cancer were treated with muscle flaps and skin grafts. Lateral temporal bone resection (LTBR) was performed for complete resection of the cancer. The defect cavity was obliterated with highly vascularized tissue using pedicled sternocleidomastoid muscle, and temporalis muscle individually, combined with full thickness skin graft for covering the skin defect of the ear. Results: Clear resection margin was obtained, and both patients showed disease free survival during the follow up. There was no complications of hematoma, infection, flap loss, or wound problem in both patients. Both patient received radiation therapy, there was no osteoradionecrosis or any other complication related to radiation therapy. Conclusion: Utilizing pedicled muscle flaps for managing defects after wide resection of the external auditory canal cancer is an effective method for managing this difficult disease.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.203-206
• /
• 2019

Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and highly aggressive neuroectodermal carcinoma arising from mechanoreceptor Merkel cells. Multiple MCCs are even rarer. We report a case of two independent MCCs simultaneously present in the cheek of a patient, which were effectively and esthetically treated using a cheek flap. Punch biopsy performed in a 60-year-old woman admitted with a chief complaint of two skin-colored hard nodules in her left cheek, accompanied by an itching sensation, was suggestive of MCC. Accordingly, we performed sentinel lymph node biopsy through the modified Blair incision under general anesthesia, in cooperation with the head and neck surgery department. The defect was covered with a cheek flap by slightly extending the existing incision following wide excision with a safety margin of 1 cm. This paper is significant in that it introduces an effective reconstruction technique that maintains function using a cheek flap for the management of this rare case. In addition, this paper is the first to classify multiple MCCs according to the time of onset. We believe that this paper presents an effective alternative reconstruction technique with sentinel node biopsy through the modified Blair incision.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
• /
• v.46 no.5
• /
• pp.441-448
• /
• 2019

Background Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare neuroendocrine malignancy affecting the skin, for which timely diagnosis and aggressive treatment are essential. MCC has most often been reported in Caucasians, and case reports in Asians are rare. This study presents our experiences with the surgical treatment and radiotherapy of MCC in Asian patients. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the records of seven MCC patients between 2000 and 2018 from a single institution, and analyzed patient characteristics, tumor characteristics, surgical treatment, sentinel lymph node evaluation, reconstruction, adjuvant radiation therapy, and prognosis. Results Eight MCC lesions occurred in seven patients, most commonly in the head and neck region. All patients underwent surgical excision with reconstruction. The final surgical margin was 1.0 cm in most cases, and reconstruction was most commonly performed with a splitthickness skin graft. Five patients received adjuvant radiotherapy, and two patients received sentinel lymph node biopsy. During the follow-up period, three patients remained well, two died from other causes, one experienced recurrence, and one was lost to follow-up. Conclusions We treated seven Asian MCC patients and our series confirmed that MCC is a very dangerous cancer in Asians as well. Based on our experiences, thorough surgical excision of MCC with histopathological clearance should be considered, with sentinel lymph node evaluation if necessary, followed by appropriate reconstruction and careful postoperative observation. Adjuvant radiation therapy is also recommended for all Asian MCC patients. The results of this case series may provide guidance for the treatment of Asian MCC patients in the future.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
• /
• v.39 no.1
• /
• pp.55-58
• /
• 2012

We experienced satisfactory outcomes by synchronously transplanting an artery and vein using an anterolateral thigh flap pedicle between the vascular pedicle and recipient vessel of a flap for scalp reconstruction. A 45-year-old man developed a subdural hemorrhage due to a fall injury. In this patient, the right temporal cranium was missing and the patient had $4{\times}3cm$ and $6{\times}5cm$ scalp defects. We planned a scalp reconstruction using a latissimus dorsi free flap. Intraoperatively, there was a severe injury to the right superficial temporal vessel because of previous neurosurgical operations. A 15 cm long pedicle defect was needed to reach the recipient facial vessels. For the vascular graft, the descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery and two venae comitantes were harvested. The flap survived well and the skin graft was successful with no notable complications. When an interposition graft is needed in the reconstruction of the head and neck region for which mobility is mandatory to a greater extent, a sufficient length of graft from an anterolateral flap pedicle could easily be harvested. Thus, this could contribute to not only resolving the disadvantages of a venous graft but also to successfully performing a vascular anastomosis.