Utility of an Anterior Tibial Perforator for Skin Paddle Viability in Through-and-Through Defects of the Mandible.

Objective

The present report describes an alternative technique of using a flow- through, double-paddle, fibular, osteocutaneous free flap based on one perforator from the peroneal system and one perforator from the anterior tibial system for a through-and-through mandibular defect.

Methods

The patient was a 65-year-old man who underwent a composite resection of the floor of the mouth, mandible, and chin pad due to recurrent oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma. The fibula was harvested with one posterior-lateral septal perforator from the peroneal system and with a second skin perforator from the anterior tibial system to perfuse a 15 × 14 cm skin island. The anterior tibial perforator was anastomosed to the distal end of the peroneal artery in a flow-through technique, and the area between the peroneal and tibial perforators was de-epithelialized to reconstruct separately the floor of mouth and cutaneous defects.

Results

Good inflow and outflow of both skin islands were noted at the end of the procedure, and the patient recovered successfully without any fistulas or donor site morbidity.

Conclusions

Perforators from the anterior tibial system should be considered for large, through-and-through mandibular defects when using 2 perforators from the peroneal system is not possible. In addition, we believe the flow-through technique can be useful in patients with vessel-depleted necks and provides a suitable match for vessel size between an anterior tibial perforator and the distal end of the peroneal system.