title: "Naked microvascular bone flap" in oral reconstruction.
abstract: Since the 1980s, bone free flaps have been used to reconstruct the maxilla and the mandible. The vascular pedicle, through the supply of nutritional substances and drugs from the bloodstream, ensures the vitality of the flap, rapid bone integration, and reduced risk of infection.However, due to many surgeons' concerns about orocervical and orosinusal fistulas and infections, bone flaps are usually buried and protected by mucosal flaps or a second skin flap whenever it is not possible to harvest a skin paddle together with the bone flap.The authors, convinced that naked bone free flaps, if well vascularized, are capable of healing and repairing the osteomucosal deficit on their own, with no risk of infection or fistulas, began to harvest, for oral reconstructions, naked bone flaps, that is, bone flaps covered only by a muscle layer 5 to 20 mm thick.In this study, the authors present a review of their experience in oral cavity reconstructions by harvesting naked and covered bone free flaps, retrospectively evaluating the occurrence of major and minor, early and late complications, associated with the different reconstructive technique.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Maxillo-Facial Surgery, Chief Prof. G. Iannetti, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gennaro
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Della Monaca
authors.forename: Ikenna Valentine
authors.initials: IV
authors.lastname: Aboh
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Priore
authors.forename: Arianna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Facchini
authors.forename: Valentino
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Valentini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016025:Bone Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005360:Fibula / Q000098:blood supply / Q000637:transplantation*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D058752:Free Tissue Flaps / Q000098:blood supply / Q000637:transplantation*; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible / Q000601:surgery; D008339:Mandibular Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D008437:Maxilla / Q000601:surgery; D008441:Maxillary Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome