[Clinical study on repair of oral and perioral tissue defects with facial artery perforator myomucosal flap in 8 cases].

[OBJECTIVE] To explore the technical key points and effectiveness of the facial artery perforator myomucosal flap (FAPMF) in repairing oral and perioral tissue defects.

[METHODS] Between June 2023 and December 2024, 8 patients with oral and perioral tissue defects were repaired with the FAPMF. There were 4 males and 4 females, with an average age of 57.6 years (range, 45-72 years). Among them, 4 cases had floor-of-mouth defects and 3 cases had buccal mucosa defects remaining after squamous cell carcinoma resection, and 1 case had lower lip defect caused by trauma. The size of tissue defects ranged from 4.5 cm×3.0 cm to 6.0 cm×5.0 cm. The preoperative mouth opening was (39.55±1.88) mm, and the preoperative swallowing score of the University of Washington Quality of Life Questionnaire (UW-QOL) was 64.64±8.47. Preoperatively, CT angiography and Doppler ultrasound were used to locate the perforator vessels. A myomucosal flap pedicled with the perioral perforators of the facial artery was designed, with the harvesting size ranging from 4.0 cm×2.5 cm to 6.5 cm×4.0 cm. The length of the vascular pedicle was 4.2-6.8 cm (mean, 5.2 cm). Postoperatively, FAPMF survival, complications, and functional recovery were observed.

[RESULTS] All 8 surgeries were successfully completed without conversion to other repair methods or complications such as facial nerve injury. The total operation time ranged from 110 to 180 minutes, with an average of 142.5 minutes; among this, the harvesting time of the FAPMF ranged from 35 to 65 minutes, with an average of 48.7 minutes. The intraoperative blood loss was 50-150 mL, with an average of 85.6 mL. All FAPMFs survived completely. One patient developed venous reflux disorder at 24 hours after operation, which relieved after conservative treatment. All patients were followed up 7-16 months (mean, 12.4 months). All FAPMFs achieved complete epithelialization at 3 months after operation, showing a similar soft texture to the surrounding mucosa. At 7 months after operation, the mouth opening was (39.11±1.79) mm, slightly lower than preoperative level, but the difference was not significant (>0.05). The swallowing score of the UW-QOL was 63.78±8.31, which was significantly lower than preoperative score (<0.05). The visual analogue scale (VAS) score for patient satisfaction was 7-10, with an average of 8.9.

[CONCLUSION] The FAPMF has advantages such as reliable blood supply, high mucosal matching degree, and concealed donor site, making it an ideal option for repairing small and medium-sized oral and perioral tissue defects.