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Updated: Mar 16, 2026
Fabrication of Tongue Extracellular Matrix and Reconstitution of Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma In Vitro
Published on: June 20, 2018
The anterolateral thigh flap for soft tissue reconstruction in patients with tongue squamous cell carcinoma
Xiang-Juan Tong1, Zhan-Gui Tang2,3, Zhen-Feng Shan4
1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China. 597318966@qq.com.
Background:
Surgery remains the first choice of treatment for tongue cancer. Immediate reconstruction should be performed after wide resection of tumour. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anterolateral thigh flap for reconstruction of lingual defects.
Methods:
We report 39 consecutive oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma patients who underwent lingual reconstruction with the anterolateral thigh flap between 2009 and 2010.
Results:
The width of the skin island was 4 to 5 cm and the length of the skin island was 6 to 8 cm in 31 patients with T2 tumour, while the width of the skin island was 5.5 to 6 cm and the length of the skin island was 9 to 12 cm in 8 patients with T3/4 tumours. The all flap survival rate was 97.5 % in our series.
Conclusions:
We could obtain sufficient flap volume using the anterolateral thigh flap for tongue reconstruction. The single perforator-based anterolateral thigh flap is a good option for soft tissue reconstruction in patients with oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma.
