Influence of previous radiotherapy on free tissue transfer in the head and neck region: evaluation of 455 cases.

Objective/hypothesis: The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to investigate the effect of prior radiotherapy (XRT) on the outcome of microvascular free tissue transfer in the head and neck region.

Methods: Four hundred fifty-five patients, subdivided into three groups, were analyzed. Groups I (no previous XRT, n=110), II (previous radiochemotherapy with 50 Gy focus dosage in the primary treatment regime for oral cancer, n=322), and III (secondary reconstruction after XRT-induced complications, n=23) were compared regarding flap success rate, postoperative complications, postoperative mortality, duration of intensive care (DOIC), and hospitalization (DOH).