Superficial temporal artery flap: a new option for posterior hypopharyngeal wall reconstruction

Reconstruction of hypopharynx after tumor resection remains a challenging problem for the head and neck surgeons. A new surgical technique was introduced to reconstruct the hypopharynx after tumor resection using the superficial temporal artery flap. Three patients with T3 carcinoma of the posterior hypopharyngeal wall who underwent surgical resection of the tumor with laryngeal preservation were reported using this method. The larynx functions were preserved successfully in all the patients. In all patients, the nasogastric tubes were removed within 20-50 days (mean 33 days). The tracheal tubes were plugged on days between 14 and 44 (mean 26th day) postoperatively. Then all patients received the postoperative radiotherapy. The tracheal tubes were removed successfully 5-7 months after surgery (mean 6 months) without the evidence of apnea. The speech function was excellent in all patients, which was evaluated according to the voice-related quality of life questionnaire. Although lymph node metastasis was detected in one patient 6 months after surgery, there were no evidences of flap complications in all the three patients. The superficial temporal artery flap is a new option for the posterior pharyngeal wall reconstruction in selected cases with the hypopharynx carcinoma. The larynx functions were preserved successfully.