Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery · 1993 · 147 citations · 0 references
MedicinePlastic SurgerySurgeryMicrosurgeryMicrovascular ReconstructionReconstructive SurgeryFlap ReconstructionFlap SalvageFlap SurgeryFree Flap ReconstructionNeck ReconstructionRadiation TherapyCase-control Study DesignFlap SurvivalFlapsFree Flap FailureFree Flap HarvestingMicrovascular Flap ReconstructionSalvageSurvival Rates
Historical cohort analysis compared free-flap survival rates in 226 irradiated and 108 nonirradiated head and neck reconstructions. The failure rate for the irradiated flaps (3.5 percent) did not differ significantly from that for the nonirradiated group (2.9 percent). A case-control study of the failed irradiated flaps revealed infection and lag time between radiotherapy and surgery as the only factors significantly associated with free flap failure. Salvage techniques (vein grafting, cephalic transposition, and Corlett looping) for recruiting recipient vessels into radically ablated head and neck beds are reviewed.