Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026
Engineered Vascularized Muscle Flap
Published on: January 11, 2016
Radial forearm free flap donor site outcomes comparison by closure methods
Tang Ho1, Marion Couch, Kathryn Carson
1Bobby R. Alford Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
Objective:
To compare the functional and aesthetic outcomes of radial forearm free flap (RFFF) donor sites reconstructed with full-thickness skin graft (FTSG), split thickness skin graft (STSG) alone, and STSG overlying an acellular dermal matrix (AlloDerm).
Study Design And Setting:
A cross-sectional cohort study at a tertiary care hospital.
Results:
Twenty-five head and neck cancer patients who underwent reconstruction with RFFF completed the evaluations (STSG = 10, FTSG = 8, STSG with AlloDerm = 7). Subjective evaluations of postoperative function by questionnaires showed no significant differences among the 3 groups (P = 0.93). In blinded evaluations by surgeons, the STSG group obtained the highest aesthetic outcome score (3.39 of 5.0), followed by FTSG (2.89) and STSG with AlloDerm (2.80). However, the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.32). Objective measurements of postoperative function by certified occupational therapists were comparable among the 3 groups with the exception of a mildly decreased range of wrist flexion (P = 0.036) and ulnar deviation (P = 0.016) in the FTSG group.
Conclusions:
The 3 methods of reconstruction have comparable postoperative functional and aesthetic outcomes.
Significance:
Each of the 3 methods of reconstruction has low morbidity and satisfactory aesthetic and functional outcomes.
