Versatility of Tongue Flaps for Closure of Palatal Defects- Case Report

Palatal defects following congenital anomalies, traumatic injuries, benign and malignant pathologies frequently require resection and reconstruction. Reconstruction of these defects is challenging and complex due to the amount of tissue left for primary closure after excision, compromised vasculature as on repaired cleft palate and limited pedicled flaps around the lesion. Tongue flap though doesn't fulfil all the ideal requirements of a flap, however because of its flexibility, good blood supply and position it can be considered as the best among other flaps for reconstruction of oral and palatal defects. In this article we describe two different cases in which tongue flap was used to reconstruct palatal defects, one an oroantral communication secondary to a tumour excision and the other an oro-nasal fistula secondary to cleft palate repair.