Reconstruction of full-thickness cheek defects with combined temporalis myofacial and facial-cervico-pectoral flaps.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to assess using the temporal myofacial flaps (TMFF) and the facial-cervico-pectoral flap (FCPF) to provide both inner and outer linings for large full-thickness cheek defects following ablative oral cancer surgery.


METHODS
Twelve patients with malignant tumors in the buccal region were treated by extensive surgical dissection, and the cheek mucosa defects were repaired with the TMFF and the cheek skin defects were reconstructed with the FCPF. There were 9 male and 3 female patients, age range from 18 to 70 years (mean 52.8). The full-thickness cheek defects ranged from 7 x 6 cm to 10 x 8 cm in size.


RESULTS
No patient had complete loss of flap; 3 patients had minor complications (TMFF and FCPF partial necrosis and FCPF distal dehiscence) all of which settled with conservative management. Mouth opening was normal in 10 patients, and facial contour was satisfactory in 8 patients. The follow-up period varied from 6 to 26 months (mean 15.2); 3 tumors had local recurrences and 2 patients died from tumor metastasis.


CONCLUSIONS
We found the technique to be anatomically sound, technically easy and reliable, and believe it is a useful method for the reconstruction of large full-thickness cheek defects.
Chen
Weiliang
W
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China. drchen@vip.163.com
Zeng
Shuguang
S
Li
Jingsong
J
Yang
Zhaohui
Z
Huang
Zhiquan
Z
Wang
Yongjie
Y
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002610:Cheek / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D037981:Neck Dissection / Q000379:methods; D010369:Pectoralis Muscles / Q000637:transplantation*; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D013703:Temporal Muscle / Q000637:transplantation*; D016896:Treatment Outcome