Vertical Submental Island Flap for Head and Neck Reconstruction.

Regional flaps remain a cornerstone of head and neck reconstruction. Among their many functions, they serve a vital role in salvage surgery and for those in whom medical comorbidities preclude the use of microvascular free flaps. Recent research has also examined their potential benefit in value-based healthcare metrics such as operative time, cost, intensive care unit care, and length of stay as compared to free-flap reconstruction.

The Value of the "Papillon" Anterolateral Thigh Flap for Total Pharyngolaryngectomy Reconstruction: A Retrospective Case Series.

Purpose: The tubed, buried anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap is a popular reconstruction method for total pharyngolaryngectomy defects. The "papillon"-designed ALT flap, described by Hayden et al, offers an alternative method of using the ALT flap in this situation. We report our early experience with the papillon ALT flap in a patient cohort.

The Hybrid Submental Flap for Tongue Reconstruction.

Purpose: To describe a hybrid submental flap using pedicled and microvascular techniques to circumvent a restricting vascular anatomy and increase the rotational arc of the skin paddle.

Methods And Materials: This case report and literature review describes a hybrid submental flap. A standard submental island flap was planned and elevated for reconstruction of an acquired lateral tongue defect secondary to oncologic ablation.

Full-thickness skin graft from the neck for coverage of the radial forearm free flap donor site.

Purpose: This study describes the use of a full-thickness skin graft (FTSG) from the neck to cover the radial forearm free flap (RFFF) donor site in patients undergoing neck dissection and microvascular reconstruction for ablative head and neck oncologic surgery. The authors propose that an FTSG from the neck provides sufficient tissue quantity and quality, fewer surgical sites, and decreased surgical time and cost compared with other FTSG harvest sites and split-thickness skin grafts (STSGs).

Materials And Methods: This was a retrospective study of 50 patients from 2007 to 2012 who underwent ablative surgery for oral and head and neck cancer with concomitant cervical lymphadenectomy and RFFF reconstruction with repair of the donor site using an FTSG harvested along the neck dissection incision.