[Reconstructive operations on the head and neck using a microsurgical technic]

Eighty-one patients with defects and deformations of the head and neck of various origin were examined and treated. Microsurgical autotransplantation of vascularized tissue complexes was carried out in all the cases. Profound preliminary examinations of patients helped objectively define the indications for the use of this method. Special attention was paid to the choice of donor zone. Due to correct selection of a complex graft, good functional and cosmetic results were attained. Despite repeated corrective operations in 16 patients, virtually complete social and communal rehabilitation was attained in 74 (91.4%) patients by using a limited number of donor areas. The authors persuasively demonstrate the advantages of microsurgery in repair of complex and extensive defects on the head and neck.