title: Microsurgical free flap reconstruction outcomes in head and neck cancer patients after surgical extirpation and intraoperative brachytherapy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The management of recurrent or persistent head and neck cancer poses a challenging problem. Salvage surgery for these individuals consists of ablative surgery, interstitial brachytherapy, and microsurgical free flap reconstruction. This study reviews complications after such reconstruction.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed 139 consecutive head and neck cancer patients undergoing free flap reconstruction from January 1994 to May 2002. These included 66 patients with recurrent head and neck cancer undergoing intraoperative brachytherapy (IOBT) and free flap reconstruction and 73 undergoing free flap reconstructions only. A total of 142 reconstructions were performed, with three patients in IOBT group receiving two free flap reconstructions per patient, giving us a total of 69 reconstructions in the IOBT group versus 73 in the non-IOBT group. Nine patients were excluded from the IOBT group because of nonsynchronous use of brachytherapy and reconstruction, and 10 patients were excluded from the other group because they had prior radiotherapy or surgical treatment, leaving us with a total of 123 reconstructions, 60 in the IOBT group and 63 in the non-IOBT group. The IOBT group patients received iodine Vicryl seed implants, palladium seed implants, or both, to deliver an average dose of 79.3 +/- 31.8 Gy (mean +/- 1SD) to the surgical bed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All patients were followed for evidence of local wound complications. The IOBT group showed multiple complications in 23 (38.33%) of 60 reconstructions, the most common being wound dehiscence in 11. This, when compared with the non-IOBT group complications (15.87%), was found to be statistically significant (chi test, P <.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IOBT increases the rate of complications in patients undergoing microvascular free tissue transfer. This, however, should not deter or alter the aggressiveness of cancer therapy used for managing recurrent head and neck cancer.
authors.affiliation: Section of Otolaryngology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520-8041, USA. douglas.ross@yale.edu
authors.forename: Douglas A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: Jagdeep S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Hundal
authors.forename: Yung H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Son
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ariyan
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lowlicht
authors.forename: Clarence T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Sasaki
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001918:Brachytherapy; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016879:Salvage Therapy; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D016896:Treatment Outcome