Summary
Reconstructive requirements of medium to large sized oral mucosal defects following
oncological resection include restoration of mucosal continuity with prevention of
salivary leak and fistula formation, predictable soft tissue healing, and ensuring
optimal oral function and cosmetic restoration. Such defects frequently mandate the
use of microvascular free tissue transfer of fasciocutaneous flaps such as the radial
forearm or anterolateral thigh flaps, or, for larger defects incorporating significant
dead-space, muscle flaps such as rectus abdominis or latissimus dorsi. Commonly described
techniques for re-establishing continuity of the epithelial component include using
native mucosa, split skin graft, or a myocutaneous flap skin paddle. Few case series
reports exist of non-epithelial reconstructive approaches. Here, the authors report
a large series of muscle only flaps for oral defect reconstruction following oncologic
resection. The current study demonstrates that mucosalised muscle is an effective
additional method for intra-oral mucosal defect reconstruction.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 02, 2012
Accepted:
June 10,
2012
Received:
December 28,
2011
Identification
Copyright
© 2012 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
