The facial artery perforator flap for intraoral reconstruction of a mouth floor defect.

Abstract

Facial artery perforator flaps have been recently reported by different authors for perioral, nasal alar and cheek defects, but not for intraoral reconstruction. We have extended the use of the facial artery perforator flap in a 56-year-old man with a squamous cell carcinoma of left mouth floor, who was submitted to tumor resection with marginal mandibulectomy and left supraomohyoid neck dissection. The flap was designed according to the size of the defect (5 × 3 cm), centered on the perforator to create a symmetric flap and was tunnelled intraorally by means of a 90° rotation. The postoperative period was uneventful, allowing timely initiation of adjuvant radiotherapy. After 8 months, there were no signs of local recurrence or wound dehiscence, and functional outcomes were satisfactory. The main advantages of this flap in this case were the reduction in morbidity at the donor site with preservation of nerves, muscles and facial artery, and it allowed greater freedom. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this technique has not been reported before. It may constitute an important reconstructive option when dealing with similar defects, if our results are confirmed in larger series.