[Application of radial forearm free flap in extraoral soft tissue head and neck reconstruction].
OBJECTIVE
Radial forearm free flap, highly regarded in head and neck reconstructive surgery, is known to be one of the most reliable and versatile flaps. The aim of this study was to illustrate the versatility and reliability of a radial forearm flap in reconstruction of a variety of extraoral head and neck defects.


METHODS
During a period 2001-2007 at the Clinic for Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry and the Center for Burns, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in Belgrade, 19 patients underwent microsurgical reconstructions after extraoral tumor ablation in the head and neck region, using fasciocutaneous radial forearm free flap.


RESULTS
The overall flap survival rate was 89.5%. The complications that appeared were one partial necrosis and one venous thrombosis that in spite of reanastomosis resulted in a complete flap failure. The donor site healed uneventfully in all patients, except one, who had a partial skin graft failure, that ended in a secondary skin grafting.


CONCLUSIONS
For reconstruction in head and neck surgery, with the need for thin, pliable tissues and a long vascular pedicle, radial forearm flap still remains a primary choice. Because of their multiple advantages, free flaps from the radial forearm is a safe method for reconstruction of a variety of extensive extraoral soft tissue defects in the head and neck region.
Klinicki centar Srbije, Centar za opekotine, plasticnu i rekonstruktivnu hirurgiju, Beograd, Srbija.
Jelena
J
Jeremić
Zivorad
Z
Nikolić
Lazar
L
Drcić
Aleksandar
A
Petrović
Katarina
K
Jeremić
Vladimir
V
Todorović
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005542:Forearm; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008866:Microsurgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D013524:Surgical Flaps