title: Reconstructive considerations after resection of malignant melanoma in the head and neck.
abstract: Little has been written about reconstructive methods after resection of melanomas in the head and neck region. We investigated reconstructive methods retrospectively related to the site and size of the melanomas resected by examining the medical records of 28 patients who had malignant melanomas of the head and neck resected at our hospital from 1984 to 2001. The tumour distribution was 12 in the cheek, 6 in the conjunctiva, 2 in the upper lip, 2 in the lower lip, one each in the lower eyelid, eyebrow, scalp, nose, and auricle. Reconstructive methods were 18 skin grafts, seven local flaps, and three free flaps. Three patients who had skin grafts required secondary reconstruction using free flaps. No local recurrences were observed. Reconstructions with local flaps give better aesthetical and functional results than free flaps and skin grafts. Immediate reconstruction with a flap is safe and it does not affect observation of local recurrences.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan. msekido@med.hokudai.ac.jp
authors.forename: Mitsuru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sekido
authors.forename: Yuhei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Arata
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tsutsumida
authors.forename: Tetsunori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Hidehiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Minakawa
authors.forename: Kunihiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nohira
authors.forename: Yoshihisa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shintomi
authors.forename: Tsuneki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sugihara
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D013524:Surgical Flaps