Resumo

MACHAKA, Mokgadi; NDOBE, Elias  e  NEL, Marietha. Efficacy of the Anterolateral Thigh Flap for Head and Neck Reconstruction. WJCM [online]. 2025, vol.7, n.1, pp.21-24. ISSN 2618-0197.  https://doi.org/10.18772/26180197.2025.v7n1a4.

BACKGROUND: Head and neck cancers are increasing in Africa, and head and neck defects commonly result from the excision of cancers. Although global studies have reported that the use of anterolateral thigh flaps (ALTF) can safely restore form and function, there are no reports from Africa regarding the efficacy of ALTF in managing these cancers. We report on the experience with the ALTF in the treatment of these cancers from a tertiary academic center in Johannesburg, South Africa METHODS: The study was a retrospective review of all patients admitted to our institution and who underwent ALTF over 5 years between January 2014 and December 2018. Inclusion criteria were head and neck patients who were 18 years or older, fit for a lengthy operation, and with stable medical conditions. Thirty-three patients met the criteria for the study RESULTS: Most patients (n=24) were male with squamous cell carcinoma (78.8%) of the oral cavity. Seven patients suffered complications either at the recipient or the donor site. At the donor site the complication was partial loss (12.1%) of the skin graft. At the recipient site complications were low and included vascular compromise (6%), dehiscence (3%), or complete flap loss (3%). However, there was a total flap survival in 97% of patients CONCLUSION: Reconstruction using the ALTF had a low complication rate and excellent flap survival. These results encourage frequent use of this method of reconstruction for head and neck defects

Palavras-chave : SCC head and neck; thigh flap; free tissue transfer.

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