Venous Flow Coupler in Head and Neck Free Flap Reconstruction.

Objective: To describe the utility of venous flow couplers in monitoring free tissue flaps in the immediate postoperative setting.

Study Design: Retrospective case series.

Setting: Otolaryngology department at a single tertiary care institution.

Head and Neck Microvascular Reconstruction in Puerto Rico: Developing a Two-team approach to Microvascular Reconstructive Surgery.

Hypopharyngeal carcinoma as a subsite of head and neck cancer, carries with it the lowest 5-year relative survival rate. Treatment of hypopharyngeal cancer relies on single therapy or multimodality treatment: surgery, radiation and/or chemotherapy. When surgical intervention is chosen, the type of operation depends on the extent of the lesion and the regions involved and will often require some form of reconstruction.

Antibiotic Use in Facial Plastic Surgery.

Prophylactic antibiotic use in facial plastic surgery is a highly controversial topic primarily due to the lack of evidence in support of or against antibiotic use. In this section the authors present the available literature on the most commonly performed procedures within facial plastic surgery in an attempt to see if the data support or contradict the need for antibiotic prophylaxis in facial plastic surgery.

The double-barreled radial forearm osteocutaneous free flap.

Objectives/hypothesis: The radial forearm osteocutaneous free flap (RFOCFF) provides a thin pliable skin paddle with up to 11 cm of bone. A limitation of this flap is the thin bone that is obtained and the lack of suitability for dental implants. A minimum depth of 5 mm and height of 10 mm is required for a bony flap to accept osteointegrated implants.

National survey on the use of preoperative systemic steroids in endoscopic sinus surgery.

Background: The use of preoperative systemic steroids (PSS) in endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) has been a topic of debate among otolaryngologists for many years now. Until recently, most of the evidence to support PSS use in ESS was largely anecdotal and based on expert opinion. Although some recent randomized and blinded trials have been published, opinions among experts in the field are highly variable.