The role of soft tissue reconstruction after melanoma resection in the head and neck

Abstract

Although primary closure is the ideal method of reconstruction for small defects, flap closure provides a versatile and safe alternative when simple closure would yield unsatisfactory results. With careful planning, flap closure offers an exceptional functional and aesthetic result and may even enhance contour defects after extensive neck or parotid dissections. Moreover, our experience with flap closure did not appear to delay the detection of local recurrence and may have even served to decrease the incidence of local failure after wide local excision of head and neck melanomas.