Application of skeletal buttress analogy in composite facial reconstruction

Reconstructive algorithms for composite craniofacial defects have focused on soft tissue flaps with or without bone grafts. However, volumetric loss over time limits long-term preservation of facial contour. Application of craniofacial skeletal buttress principles to high-energy trauma or oncologic defects with composite vascularized bone flaps restores the soft tissue as well as the buttresses and ultimately preserves facial contour. We conducted a retrospective review of 34 patients with craniofacial defects treated by a single surgeon with composite bone flaps at R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center and Johns Hopkins Hospital from 2001 to 2007. Data collected included age, sex, mechanism of injury, type of defect, type of reconstructive procedures, and outcome. Thirty-four patients with composite tissue loss, primarily males (n = 24) with an average age of 37.4 years, underwent reconstruction with vascularized bone flaps (28 fibula flaps and 6 iliac crest flaps). There were 4 cranial defects, 8 periorbital defects, 18 maxillary defects, and 4 maxillary and periorbital defects. Flap survival rate was 94.1% with an average follow-up time of 20.5 months. Restoration of facial height, width, and projection is achieved through replacement of skeletal buttresses and is essential for facial harmony. Since 2001, our unit has undergone a paradigm shift with regard to treatment of composite oncologic and traumatic defects, advocating vascularized bone flaps to achieve predictable long-term outcomes.