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Updated: Jul 1, 2025
Microvascular Decompression: Salient Surgical Principles and Technical Nuances
Published on: July 5, 2011
Postoperative inpatient surgical complications following head and neck microvascular free tissue transfer
Hasan Abdulbaki1, Patrick K Ha2, Philip D Knott2
1San Francisco School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.
Background:
Complications following head and neck microvascular free tissue transfer (MFTT) are common. Less is known about when they occur.
Method:
Retrospective study of patients with primary or recurrent head and neck cancer undergoing MFTT reconstruction at a tertiary care institution. MFTT reconstructions with inpatient postoperative complications were included. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare median postoperative day (POD) onset of complication by flap type.
Results:
Of 1090 patients undergoing MFTT reconstruction, 126 (11.6%) patients experienced inpatient complications including fibula (n = 35), anterolateral thigh (n = 60), or radial forearm (n = 31) MFTTs. POD onset was shortest for surgical site hematoma (median = 1 [IQR 1-5]), and longest for donor site infection (median = 11.5 [IQR 8-15]). There was no significant difference between flap types and POD onset of complications (p > 0.05).
Conclusion:
Hematoma formation and flap failure occur earliest during hospitalization, while dehiscence, infection, and fistula occur later. There is no difference in complication timing between flap types.
