[Reconstructive operations in the treatment of carcinoma of the lower lip]

The authors sum up the results of combined and reconstructive surgical treatment of 213 cases with squamous-cell carcinoma of the lower lip, carried out in Tver Oncological Center during the recent decade. Oncological and functional esthetic results of different methods of primary cheiloplasty are analyzed. The findings confirm that clinoid resection of the lip is not permissible as a method of treatment and that indications for resection of the lower lip without primary cheiloplasty should be limited. The authors suggest their own method for surgical repair of the lower lip, which was used in the treatment of 23 patients with carcinomas. Evaluation of the adequacy and efficiency of the method and analysis of the incidence and type of postoperative complications, function of the lower lip after its repair, and esthetic results showed high esthetic and functional efficiency of the new method, due to lesser trauma of the soft tissues, lesser blood loss, and shorter time required for elevation of triangular mucous flaps, adequate blood supply to triangular mucous grafts and lower risk of their aseptic necrosis, anatomic topographic division of vertical fragments of skin and mucous wounds of the lip, and lower risk of secondary wound infection.