[Effect of double-leaf perforator free flap posterolateral calf peroneal artery on reconstruction of oropharyngeal anatomy after ablation of advanced oropharyngeal carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effect of using free double- leaf perforator flap posterolateral calf peroneal artery in anatomical reconstruction of the oropharyngeal structure after ablation of advanced oropharyngeal carcinoma.

METHODS

Twenty-six patients with oropharyngeal defects after ablation of oropharyngeal malignancies were recruited, including 12 with carcinoma in the tongue base, 5 in the latenral pharyngeal wall and 9 in the soft palate. Between July, 2016 and July, 2018, the patients underwent surgeries for reconstruction of the oropharyngeal defects using flaps. The areas of tissue defects repaired by double-leaf perforator flaps ranged from 40.5 to 72.5 cm2. Reconstruction was performed for oropharyngeal defects in the soft palate, pterygopalate, parapharyngeal, pterygo- mandibular, and tongue base tissues. The patients' outcomes including mouth opening, functions of deglutition, linguistic function, restoration of palatopharyngeal anatomical structure and postoperative survival were evaluated, and their quality of life was assessed using FACT-H&N scale (Chinese Edition).

RESULTS

All the 26 patients with transplantation of the free flaps survived. Six months after the operation, the oropharyngeal function and anatomical structure of the patients were basically restored. The questionnaire survey showed that the patients' physical, social/family, emotional and functional conditions, the total score of the core scale, items scores for the head and neck, and the total score of the scale all improved significantly after the operation compared with those before the operation (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The free peroneal artery bilobate perforator flap in the posterolateral crus, which seldom has anatomical variations of the blood vessels, allows flexible design and contains rich tissue volume to facilitate defect repair with different approaches and ranges. The application of this flap, which is an ideal perforator flap for reconstruction of the oropharyngeal structure and function, can improve the quality of life of patients following operations for advanced oropharyngeal cancer.