Post-reconstruction Free Flap Complications After Oral Cancer Ablation.

[INTRODUCTION] Microvascular free flap transfer is considered a standard reconstruction after the ablation of oral cancer. Although the success rate is high, flap complications occasionally occur. This study investigated the reasons for and local factors involved in complications of free flap transfer and explored how to salvage the flaps.

[PATIENTS AND METHODS] The cases of 53 patients who underwent a free flap transfer [radial forearm flaps ( = 36), abdominis musculocutaneous flaps ( = 6), scapular osteocutaneous flaps ( = 10), and fibular osteocutaneous flap ( = 1)] were analyzed: flap complications were observed in five of the cases.

[RESULTS] In the all five cases, a salvage operation was performed under general anesthesia. The flap complications occurred within 33 h after anastomosis. In the salvage operation, thrombotic occlusion in veins of flap feeders was observed in three of the five cases. The possible reasons for flap complications were a twisting of the anastomosed vein where two veins were united, pressure to the feeder due to subcutaneous hematoma, and edema of adjacent tissue and/or drain tube; the reason was not clear in one case. The flaps were successfully salvaged in four cases by thrombectomy in veins, release of pressure at the veins, and/or interposition of the vein graft.

[CONCLUSION] Surgeons should pay close attention to the pressure and/or twisting in the feeder as well as the hemostasis in the surgical field, and a salvage operation should be carried out immediately when a flap complication is identified.