title: Free flaps for head and neck cancer reconstruction: Does the use of both large cervical vessels as recipient vessels and the employment of end-to-side technique enhance flap survival?
abstract: This study specifically investigates whether the use of both large cervical vessels (the external carotid artery and the internal jugular vein) as recipient vessels with end-to-side anastomosis enhance free flap survival in head and neck cancer reconstruction, when compared with the use of other standard smaller neck recipient vessels and end-to-end anastomosis. A total of 84 consecutive patients were included and were divided into two groups (42 in each group) according to the recipient vessels. The overall vessel thrombosis rate was 6% (five of 84 cases) and the overall flap loss rate was 2.4% (two of 84 cases) yielding a flap salvage rate of 60%. Vessel thrombosis occurred in three cases of the smaller vessels group and in two cases of the large cervical vessels group. This was not statistically significant.
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic Surgery, King Faisal Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Fk
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hashem
keywords: End-to-side recipient vessels; Free flap; Head and neck large cervical vessels