Assessing the Efficacy and Reliability of Pedicled Myocutaneous Single-Staged Flaps in Oral Cancer Ablation Surgery:...

Background Reconstructive ladder following cancer ablation surgery varies from the simplest of split skin grafts to the most complex vascularized free tissue transfer flaps. Objectives The study objective is to assess the efficacy and reliability of single-staged pedicled myocutaneous flaps (PMF) for small- and medium-sized cancer defect reconstruction, as well as to evaluate the indications of single-stage PMF in the current free flap era.  Materials and methods This was a prospective interventional study that was conducted over a period of nine months. All patients who had undergone cancer ablative surgery resulting in a small- or medium-sized defect during the study period are included. Reconstruction was performed by a single-stage PMF. Postoperatively, periodic recipient and donor site assessments were done at an appropriate time interval. Results During the study period, 21 patients were reported for cancer ablation surgery. Of these, 19 patients underwent PMF reconstruction. The peak incidence of tumors was noted in patients having an age range of 51-64 years. The chi-square test was used to compare the categorical variables. Friedman test was used to compare the visual analog scale (VAS) mean score between the time intervals. The statistical significance was kept at a p-value less than or equal to 0.05. Out of 19 patients who were operated on, no patient had dehiscence or fistula formation. No patients reported severe pain or infection in the donor site. There was no statistically significant association between necrosis at any post-operative interval. The mean patient satisfaction score measured using the VAS was 8.2. Conclusion In the current era, microvascular free tissue transfer remains the top reconstruction option. Still, our study retracted that a single-stage PMF remains a viable reconstructive option owing to its easy harvest, versatility, reliability, fewer postoperative complications, short operating time, and mainly cost factor in developing countries due to patients' financial constraints.