Various Types of Facial-Angular Artery-Based Flaps for Reconstructing Oral and Maxillofacial Defects Following Cancer Ablation.

Background: The flap based on the facial-angular vessels (FAVs) has several names and cannot capture the hemodynamics.

Aims: This study was performed to assess the reliability of various types of flaps based on the FAVs for reconstructing oral and maxillofacial defects following cancer ablation.

Patients And Methods: Forty-three oral and maxillofacial defects were reconstructed with facial-angular artery island flaps (FAAIF, n =14), including V-Y advancement-type and rotation-type flaps based on FAVs and reverse-flow FAAIFs (R-FAAIF, n =29), including ipsilateral, contralateral rotation, full-thickness, and folded types, based on distal FAVs following cancer ablation. The patients (25 males and 18 females) ranged in age from 18 to 82 years. The lesions included basal cell carcinoma ( n =26), squamous cell carcinoma ( n =8), adenoid cystic carcinoma ( n =3), mucoepidermoid carcinoma ( n =3), verrucous carcinoma ( n =2), and nodular melanoma ( n =1). The tumors were classified as clinical stage I to III in 12, 25, and 6 cases, respectively. Lesions were observed in orbital ( n =4), infraorbital ( n =14), glabellar ( n =2), nasal ( n =4), cheek ( n =10), upper lip ( n =3), palate ( n =4), and lower gingival ( n =2) regions. The defects ranged in size from 2.0×2.5 to 5.0×12.0 cm. The skin paddle ranged in size from 1.5×3.0 to 4.0×12.0 cm.

Results: There was 1 flap failure, resulting in a flap success rate of 97.7%. Complications, including hematoma, infection, wound dehiscence, and fistula, occurred in 15 (34.9%) patients. Limitations of mouth opening and ectropion occurred in 12 (28.0%) patients. The esthetic outcomes were satisfactory in 36 (83.7%) patients but were not significantly different between the FAAIF and R-FAAIF groups. The patients were followed up for 6 to 60 months. At the time of the last follow-up, 27 (62.8%) patients were alive with no disease, 9 (20.9%) were alive with disease, and 7 (16.3%) had died due to their disease. There was no significant survival difference between the 2 groups.

Conclusions: Various types of FAV-based flaps are valuable reconstructive options for the treatment of oral and maxillofacial defects following clinical stage I-III cancer ablation.