Objective To report our results of a study of 21 patients who underwent reconstruction of complicated head and neck defects following cancer ablation using microvascular anastomotic anterolateral thigh flap To discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using this flap Methods Twenty one consecutive free anterolateral thigh flaps in 21 patients were transferred for reconstruction of head and neck defects following cancer ablation between May 1990 and April 2001 The success rate was 95 percent (20 of 21),with one flap lost due to a twisted perforator The anterolateral thigh flaps were classified into four types according to the perforator derivation and the direction in which it traversed the vastus lateralis muscle Type I is the most common,in which a vertical musculocutaneous perforators from the descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery were found in 61 9 percent of cases (13 of 21) Reconstruction of one layer facial skin defect was carried out in 3 cases,through and through defect in 15 cases,the skin defects of the anterior cervical region and the mucosa defects of the hypopharynx in 3 cases Results Nineteen of 21 flaps survived One flap was totally lost and another was partially lost after surgery The mean follow up was 46 months (range:6 to 120 months) A total of 9 patients were disease free survival Two patients are alive with persistent tumor 5 patients died of local recurrence 4 patient died of regional lymph node metastasis,brain metastasis,second primary cancer and cerebral vascular accident respectively,1 patient was lost to follow up Conclusion The anterolateral thigh flap provides more tissue than the radial forearm flap,no important artery sacrificed and the donor scar is more easily hidden The anterolateral thigh flap can be successfully used to repair a variety of complicated defects of the head and neck