Vessel anastomosis in free flap reconstruction for oral and maxillofacial defects: techniques and key points

The quality of vessel anastomosis is a key element for the success of free flap reconstruction. When adopting free flaps for oral and maxillofacial defect reconstruction, skills in selecting vessels, determining the clinical manifestations of the recipient vessel, and anastomosis technique are needed. Key points on postoperative flap observation were also required. We are experienced on this subject given that we have accomplished more than 1 000 free flaps for patients with oral and maxillofacial defects in the last 5 years. In this article, we summarize the skills and key points in free flap reconstruction of oral and maxillofacial defects, including vessel anastomosis skills, vessel selection, and vessel crisis diagnosis.