Free flap for soft palate reconstruction: long-term functional evaluation of a new technique

xlomafota13 shared this article with you from Inoreader Free flap for soft palate reconstruction: long-term functional evaluation of a new technique Via http://link.springer.com/journal/405,European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology,The European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2021 Jun 2. doi: 10.1007/s00405-021-06897-0. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT PURPOSE: The soft palate (SP) has a complex anatomy and physiology. Reconstruction after tumour resection is a challenge, and procedures that only restore bulk don't give good results. We aim to present a new technique for the in-setting and the functional outcomes. METHODS: We retrospectively included in a monocentric retrospective cohort study every patient with a first diagnosis of a soft palate squamous cell carcinoma (SPSCC), who underwent a tumoral resection with a free flap reconstruction, from February 2013 to July 2017. For the in-setting, a special care is given for the flap in-setting: we suture the flap more caudally than usual under the tongue base, creating a neo-posterior pilar. The primary outcome was the deglutition function, assessed by the M. D Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI). We also analyzed the patien t's quality of life with the FOSS score and the occurrence of nasal regurgitation or larynx aspiration. RESULTS: We included twenty patients, with a median follow-up of 26.5 months. The median MDADI score was 89, and the mode was 93. A Fisher test shows a significant improvement of MDADI scores for unilateral vs bilateral reconstructions (p = 0.03). The median FOSS score was 2, and the mode was 2. Seven (35%) patients complained of nasal regurgitation, three (15%) reported episodic laryngeal aspiration. PMID:34076726 | DOI:10.1007/s00405-021-06897-0 View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.