Pectoralis myocutaneous flap for replacement of cervical esophagus

The authors report experience with 10 cases of pharyngoesophageal replacement with tubed pectoralis major myocutaneous (PM) flap. Six patients had primary reconstruction following total pharyngolaryngectomy for cancer; the other 4 had severe pharyngoesophageal stenosis requiring resection and replacement following previous laryngectomy. Seven of the patients were octogenarians, 6 had been irradiated previously, and all were severely debilitated. Two patients died postoperatively of cardiac disease. The remaining eight regained satisfactory with lasting deglutition. Four fistulae healed spontaneously, and one postoperative stenosis responded to a single dilitation. The interval to swallowing was 10-21 days in nonirradiated patients and 3-13 weeks in irradiated patients. There was one local recurrence 6 months after resection; the other patients remained free of disease. The authors conclude that the tubed PM flap is a reliable technique for pharyngoesophageal reconstruction that is particularly useful in elderly and debilitated patients.