Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery  2014;36(6):298-302

Defatting Vestibuloplasty for Functional and Esthetic Reconstruction of Tongue.

Si Yeok PARK 1 ; Min Keun KIM ; Seong Gon KIM ; Kwang Jun KWON ; Jin Soo BYUN ; Chan Jin PARK ; Young Wook PARK

Affiliations

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Keywords

Radial forearm free flap; Defatting vestibuloplasty; Transition of skin flap

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

English

Abstract

The radial forearm free flap (RFFF) is a thin and pliable tissue with many advantages for tongue reconstruction. However, tongues reconstructed with RFFF occasionally need revision surgery because inadequate defect measurement at primary surgery can lead to bulkiness and limited movement of reconstructed tongue. In this case, the patient underwent partial glossectomy and RFFF reconstruction for treatment of tongue cancer five years prior. We could not make a lower denture for the patient, because the alveolo-lingual sulcus of tongue was almost lost. So we performed vestibuloplasty with a modified Kazanjian method on the lingual vestibule of the mandibular right posterior area, and defatting surgery to debulk the flap. After surgery, we observed that the color and texture of the revised tongue changed to become similar with adjacent tissue. The patient obtained a more functional and esthetic outcome. Accordingly, we present a case report with a review of relevant literature.