OBJECTIVEPreliminary study on free scapula osteomyocutaneous flap to repair maxillary defect.

METHODSCentral maxillofacial soft and hard tissue defect after nasal sinus or oral tumor surgery was repaired with free scapual osteomyocutaneous flap in 4 patients to reconstruct their maxillofacial functions. The primary tumors included an ameloblastoma, a recurrent low-grade mucous epidermoid carcinoma a jaw sarcoma and a squamous cell carcinoma.

RESULTSAll the 4 cases had good wound healing within 2 weeks after surgery, with no complications, could take in semifluid food after 3 weeks, and had clear language communication after 1 month. Three cases wore denture after 2 months and recovered maxillofacial contour and partial chewing function, and had no tumor recurrences with the follow-up of 37, 25 and 10 months respectively. One case of maxilla sarcomas had recurrence with invasion of parapharyngeal space and skull base and pulmonary metastasis 9 months after surgery, who gave up further treatment and died 1 year later. No obvious dysfunction occurred in shoulder and back donation sites and well blood supply in transplanted bones were showed with CT and bone scan.

CONCLUSIONSScapula osteomyocutaneous flap has some advantages including reliable blood supply, hidden incision and little affect on the donation site, and it can apply with multiple tissues including bone, muscle, and skin for repair. This flap also has good shape adaptability and availability. So scapula osteomyocutaneous flap is a satisfactory method for the repair of facial maxillary complex defects. But some limitations exist in the flap, by which less amount of bone can be applied and more operation time is required due to the changes of patient's body position during surgery.