Lateral arm free flap for oral tongue reconstruction: an analysis of surgical details, morbidity, and functional and aesthetic outcome.

The purpose of this study was to report the effectiveness of the lateral arm free flap (LAFF) in the reconstruction of oral tongue defects, the subsite in which it may have advantage over the other donor sites. This is a retrospective analysis of 48 consecutive cases of LAFF used for the reconstruction of partial glossectomy defects for squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue. Primary defect and donor-site morbidity and the functional and aesthetic outcomes were assessed in 37 evaluable patients, with a minimum of 6 months follow-up.

Transmandibular approach for excision of maxillary sinus tumors extending to pterygopalatine and infratemporal fossae.

En bloc resection of maxillary sinus tumors that extend through the posterior wall necessitates resection of maxilla along with pterygopalatine and infratemporal fossae contents. This cannot be readily performed by conventional anterior maxillectomy approaches. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of transmandibular approach for the excision of maxillary sinus tumors extending to pterygopalatine and infratemporal fossae.

Increased plate and osteosynthesis related complications associated with postoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy in oral cancer.

Background: Plate osteosynthesis is a widely used technique in head and neck reconstructive surgery. The objective of this study was to determine whether postoperative chemoradiotherapy, which was recently introduced for high-risk head and neck cancer, affects plate and osteosynthesis related complications.

Methods: Fifty-two consecutive patients, who had undergone plate osteosynthesis for mandibular reconstruction between October 2003 and September 2006, were included in the study.