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Published on: September 29, 2018
Transverse cervical artery anterior perforator flap for head and neck oncological reconstruction: Preliminary study
Liang Wang1, Chun-Yue Ma1, Yi Shen1
1Department of Oral Maxillofacial-Head Neck Oncology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Stomatology & Shanghai Research Institute of Stomatology, Shanghai, China.
Background:
To describe the indications, technique, and our experience in the application of the transverse cervical artery anterior perforator flap (ap-TCAF) for reconstruction of head and neck oncological defects.
Methods:
From September 2016 to September 2019, 11 patients underwent surgical treatment for head neck squamous cell carcinoma and were subsequently reconstructed with ap-TCAFs. The clinical details were recorded, and the postoperative appearance and function were analyzed.
Results:
The ap-TCAF was used to reconstruct intraoral defects in eight patients and to repair an oropharyngeal defect in one patient. In two remaining patients, the ap-TCAF was divided into two to restore defects with both an intraoral and extraoral component. The flap size ranged from 6 × 4 cm to 15 × 9 cm. All flaps healed uneventfully. There was no delayed wound healing or dysfunction at the donor site.
Conclusions:
The ap-TCAF is reliable with characteristics making it useful for head and neck oncological reconstruction, especially in male patients.
