Free flap for soft palate reconstruction: long-term functional evaluation of a new technique.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

The soft palate (SP) has a complex anatomy and physiology. Reconstruction after tumour resection is a challenge, and procedures that only restore bulk don't give good results. We aim to present a new technique for the in-setting and the functional outcomes.

Methods

We retrospectively included in a monocentric retrospective cohort study every patient with a first diagnosis of a soft palate squamous cell carcinoma (SPSCC), who underwent a tumoral resection with a free flap reconstruction, from February 2013 to July 2017. For the in-setting, a special care is given for the flap in-setting: we suture the flap more caudally than usual under the tongue base, creating a neo-posterior pilar. The primary outcome was the deglutition function, assessed by the M. D Anderson Dysp

SUBMITTER: Colliard A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8897334 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature