OBJECTIVETo evaluate the anatomy basis and clinical effects of the lower trapezius myocutaneous flap to reconstruct defects in the head and neck.

METHODSFrom Jan. 2000 to Jan. 2004, lower trapezius myocutaneous flaps which were used to reconstruct the defects in the head and neck after radical tumors resection in twenty four cases in Center of Craniomaxillofacial Surgery of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University were analyzed retrospectively. Male was 14,female was 10. Ages ranged from 35 to 76 (median = 54). The causes of the defects were malignant neoplasm of the tongue (n = 10), buccal (n =4), oral floor (n = 2), parotid (n = 1 ), oropharynx (n = 2), gingiva (n = 3), maxillary sinus (n = 1), zygomatic and frontal part (n = 1). Fifteen patients were primary, nine patients were recurrent. The flaps ranged from 8 cm x 7 cm to 12 cm x 10 cm.

RESULTSTwenty one flaps survived fully and the other three had partial necrosis at the distal portion. Twenty two donor sites were closed primarily. Follow up 6 to 24 months, all flaps were good, the texture and color of the flaps were satisfying.

CONCLUSIONSLower trapezius myocutaneous flap is a thin, pliable and simple myocutaneous with a long pediculi and wide arc of rotation, and it is preferred for reconstructing huge soft-tissues defects in the head and neck regions simultaneously.