Long-term functional donor site morbidity of the free radial forearm flap in head and neck cancer survivors.

Background: To assess the functional donor site morbidity of the forearm free flap in patients surviving at least 2 years after ablative head and neck cancer surgery in a tertiary care centre.

Methods: This study involved nine long-term survivors (2 year post-operative) who had forearm free flaps to reconstruct head and neck defects. All flaps were raised from the non-dominant arm.

Deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary embolism following minor trauma to the popliteal fossa: could this have been avoided?

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) with subsequent pulmonary embolus (PE) is frequently fatal if untreated. Athletes may be susceptible to DVT following minor blunt trauma to the popliteal fossa. We report an adult male hockey player with no "classic" risk factors for DVT who presented with a DVT and bilateral PE following minor popliteal blunt trauma.