Partial palatomaxillary core ostectomy with multiple flap reconstruction

Epidermoid carcinoma of the hard palate has most commonly been treated by surgical procedures such as total maxillectomy, hemimaxillectomy, palatectomy, intraoral maxillectomy, and local resection, which leaves the patient with problems of velopharyngeal incompetence, oral-nasal or oral-antral fistula, or an inability to wear a denture. This article describes a surgical procedure that uses a partial core palatomaxillary ostectomy for ablation and multiple buccal and palatal flaps for primary closure, thereby avoiding these postoperative problems.