Nasal reconstruction with vascularized forehead flap (preliminary communication)

The authors have studied the anatomical characteristics of the vascularization of the forehead flap used for nasal reconstruction.

For the period 1990--2000 ten cadaver dissections were performed and three patients underwent reconstructions using the forehead flap. The results obtained reveal that the blood supply of the flap is provided by the suprathrochlear, supraorbital and frontal branch of the superficial temporal vessels, which form a network of anastomoses between the frontal muscle and the skin. Three cases of successful nasal reconstruction are presented. Two of the patients had traumatic injury of the nose and one was with postoperative defect in the naso-labial area, nose and maxilla obtained after ablation surgery for neoplasm (spinocellular carcinoma). The reconstruction was done with vascularized oblique forehead flap.

The results were evaluated as good. There were no complications.

The results of the anatomical study of the blood supply of the forehead flap and the clinical results of nasal reconstruction are discussed in relation with the literature data.