title: Supraclavicular Flap Reconstruction of Cutaneous Defects Has Lower Complication Rate than Mucosal Defects.
abstract: BackgroundThe objective of this study was to determine whether there was a difference in complication rate between cutaneous and mucosal defects reconstructed with the supraclavicular artery flap.MethodsRetrospective review of postoperative complications in 63 patients from 2008 to 2015 with cutaneous and mucosal head and neck defects following oncologic ablation reconstructed with the supraclavicular flap, with a minimum follow-up duration of 6 months. Of the 63 patients, 38 patients had cutaneous defects, whereas 25 had mucosal defects. Patients were followed up postoperatively to determine the presence of wound infection, partial flap necrosis, complete flap necrosis, and fistula formation. Complications in both defect groups as well as a statistical comparison of total complications were analyzed.ResultsPatients with cutaneous defects reconstructed with the supraclavicular flap had significantly lower postoperative complications than those with mucosal defects (p= 0.002). Flap necrosis, both partial and complete, was also lower in this same group (p= 0.0052).ConclusionThe supraclavicular artery flap may be a more suitable option for patients with cutaneous defects, given the reliability and lower propensity for postoperative complicationsLevel of EvidenceThe level of evidence is 4.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, New York, NY.
authors.forename: Sameep
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kadakia
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, New York, NY.
authors.forename: Jay
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Agarwal
authors.affiliation: Otolaryngology and Facial Plastic Surgery Associated, Fort Worth, Texas.
authors.forename: Moustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mourad
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin Texas.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ashai
authors.affiliation: Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Otolaryngology and Facial Plastic Surgery Associated, Fort Worth, Texas.
authors.forename: Yadranko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ducic
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002968:Clavicle / Q000098:blood supply / Q000601:surgery*; D004954:Esthetics; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006085:Graft Survival; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000098:blood supply; D016896:Treatment Outcome