Nasal cheek flap in ethmoidal and skull base tumour surgery: results and complications

Surgery is the treatment of choice for the management of malignant nasal/ethmoidal tumours, followed, in most cases, by external radiotherapy. Two main procedures are adopted to resect these tumours depending upon stage and extension: ethmoidectomy and medial maxillectomy, via a transfacial approach, or craniofacial resection with a combined transcranial and transfacial approach. The nasal cheek flap technique allows complete nasal swing thus obtaining a wide access to both the nasal fossae and the ethmoidal labyrinth. Furthermore, this approach can also be used in the management of small intracranial tumours extended through the skull base to the nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses, upper and middle clivus. We have used the nasal cheek flap since 1992 with good aesthetic and functional results. Aim of the present study was to analyse personal experience, focusing on complications, aesthetic results and self-evaluation expressed by the patients.