Successful free osteocutaneous scapular flap transfer for mandibular reconstruction in a 93-year-old patient

With the extension of the average life span and the development of surgical technique, anesthesia, and pre- and postoperative management, operations for elderly patients have become more widely accepted. In the field of plastic surgery, free-flap transfers using microvascular techniques have become a common surgical procedure in reconstruction of the head and neck region after surgical removal of a cancer. There have been several reports of free-flap transfer in patients older than 90 years, but the authors know of no reports of free osteocutaneous flap transfer for mandibular reconstruction, which is a very invasive free-flap surgery, for such patients. The mandible plays a significant role in various kinds of dynamic functions, such as mastication, deglutition, and articulation. Disorder of these functions causes a deterioration in the patient's quality of life. The authors have performed a mandibular reconstruction using an osteocutaneous scapular free flap after resection of a gingival cancer invading the mandibular bone in a 93-year-old Japanese woman. In our case, an osteocutaneous scapular free flap, which permits the patient rapid rehabilitation of the lower leg, is thought to be a good choice because it allows the patient to get out of bed as quickly as possible in the postoperative period to minimize additional complications.