Clinical application of thin anterolateral thigh flap in the reconstruction of intraoral defects.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to assess the clinical features and therapeutic efficacy of intraoral defect reconstruction with thin anterolateral thigh flaps.


METHODS
A total of 34 patients underwent simultaneous tumor resection and intraoral defect reconstruction with free thin anterolateral thigh flaps.


RESULTS
There were 16 male and 18 female patients; the ratio of males to females was 0.9:1; the mean age was 55.4 years. In these 34 patients, 26 flaps were musculocutaneous perforators (76.5%) and 8 flaps were septocutaneous perforators (23.5%). Partial loss of flap occurred in 2 patients (5.9%).


CONCLUSIONS
The free thin anterolateral thigh flap was the ideal soft tissue flap in intraoral defect reconstruction. This thin flap presents good functional results at the receiving site with the additional advantages of minimal donor-site morbidity and a high level of patient satisfaction.
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Stomatology, Nanjing University Medical Center, Nanjing University, Stomatological Hospital of Nanjing, Nanjing, People's Republic of China. guowensun@yahoo.com
Guowen
G
Sun
Mingxing
M
Lu
Qingang
Q
Hu
Enyi
E
Tang
Xudong
X
Yang
Zhiyong
Z
Wang
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D019647:Oral Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D013848:Thigh; D016896:Treatment Outcome