The extended submental island lip flap: an alternative for esophageal repair

An esophagocutaneous fistula after total laryngectomy in a radiated field is rare. A 62-year-old man, with a history of T2N0 M0 laryngeal carcinoma, was treated with radiation therapy. He subsequently developed recurrent disease and underwent total laryngectomy. A complication of his total laryngectomy was a high esophagocutaneous fistula. The patient had no evidence of other disease. A functional repair was achieved by extending the submandibular arterial flap to incorporate the central third of the lower lip as a mucosomyocutaneous flap. This extension of the submandibular artery flap may preclude the need for jejunal free tissue transfer in some patients with esophagocutaneous fistula.