title: Carcinoma of the tonsillar region: surgical complications relative to the type of reconstruction.
abstract: The local and general complications in a series of 122 patients treated surgically for carcinoma of the tonsillar region are reported. Eighty-five of these patients were submitted to reconstruction with local or distant flaps, and in the remaining 37 patients primary closure was achieved. 28.2% of the flaps underwent marginal necrosis, and 11.8% total necrosis. Infection and the proportion of general complications were significantly higher in those patients submitted to reconstruction with flaps, whereas fistulae, necrosis of the cervical skin, rupture of the carotid artery and common general complications were not. Significant differences were not observed with respect to viability nor to complications between the different types of flaps, so that the choice of flaps should be based exclusively on other properties inherent in each flap.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital N.S. de Covadonga, University of Oviedo, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Suarez Nieto
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gomez Martinez
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Barthe Garcia
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Llorente Pendas
mesh_terms: D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005402:Fistula / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D009336:Necrosis / Q000209:etiology; D010608:Pharyngeal Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012086:Reoperation; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000401:mortality; D014067:Tonsillar Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*