The osteomuscular dorsal scapular (OMDS) flap: an alternative technique of mandibular reconstruction

Modification of the pedicled osteomuscular dorsal scapula flap to include a skin paddle

This article describes a reliable surgical alternative for the repair of wide oromandibular defects that require bone and soft tissues, which was applied in two patient cases. While microvascular free flap transfer, especially the fibula flap, is the gold standard for mandibular reconstruction, this reconstruction is challenging in patients with a vessel-depleted neck and/or severe arteriosclerosis. The pedicled osteomuscular dorsal scapular (OMDS) flap is a surgical alternative to free flap transfer in this clinical setting. The technique described involves harvesting of the OMDS flap to include a skin paddle, which is often required to close wide oral mucosal defects.

Planning of physiotherapeutic procedure in patients after mandible reconstruction taking into account donor site: a literature review

BACKGROUND

Mandible tumors are very rare. One of the main methods of the treatments is resection of the tumor and then reconstruction of the mandible. The donor site is often distant tissue-fibula or ilium. Following this, it is necessary to improve the patient in two ways, on one hand restoring the function of the mandible, and on the other hand, improving the donor site area. For that reason, physiotherapy after tumor resection and reconstruction of the mandible is very complicated. The aim of this bibliographic review was to find the methods of the reconstruction of the mandible in the context of patients' functional assessment after surgeries to create effective physiotherapeutic procedures in the feature.

METHODS

PEDro, Medline (PubMed), Cochrane Clinical Trials were searched.

RESULTS

767 articles were found. 40 articles were included to this literature review.

CONCLUSIONS

Authors showed different kinds of surgeries strategy for patients with tumors of the mandible. They also showed manners of patients' functional assessment in the localization of transplantation and donor site. It could be useful for physiotherapists during planning of comprehensive physiotherapy.

A comparison of perioperative complications following transfer of fibular and scapular flaps for immediate mandibular reconstruction

BACKGROUND

The fibular flap and the scapular flap are widely used for immediate reconstruction after segmental mandibulectomy. The aim of this study was to compare perioperative complications between the fibular flap and the scapular flap in immediate mandibular reconstruction.

METHODS

Data were retrospectively collected on 56 patients who had undergone immediate mandibular reconstruction with a fibular flap (38 patients) or a scapular flap (18 patients) after segmental mandibulectomy from 2005 to 2011. The rates of perioperative recipient-site and donor-site complications were compared between the groups.

RESULTS

The overall rate of recipient-site complications did not differ significantly between the fibula group and the scapula flap. However, the rate of donor-site complications was significantly higher in the fibula group than in the scapula group. Partial skin-graft loss in the fibula group occurred in as high as 13 out of 38 patients.

DISCUSSION

For immediate mandibular reconstruction, a scapular flap provides short-term results equivalent to those with a fibular flap but with less donor-site morbidity. The major drawbacks of the fibular flap include prolonged healing of the donor site and the delayed mobilisation of patients. Although our first choice of vascularised bone graft is the fibular flap, the scapular flap in an alternative for those patients, especially elderly patients, in whom fibula harvest can result in significant morbidity.

Does the Latissimus dorsi insert on the iliac crest in man? Anatomic and ontogenic study

OBJECTIVE

The Latissimus dorsi muscle is usually considered as inserted on the iliac crest, but it is separated from it by the thoracolumbar fascia. In our experience based on the harvesting of pedicled Latissimus dorsi flaps to cover cervicofacial loss of substances, we have found that in some cases, the muscular fibers of the anterior border of the muscle are directly inserted on the iliac crest. In these cases, the harvesting of the flap could be more distal.

METHODS

To determine whether this direct muscular insertion is frequent or not, we performed dissections on 30 fresh cadavers of the lower insertion of the Latissimus dorsi muscle, and 6 dissections of human fetuses to study the ontogeny of these insertions.

RESULTS

The Latissimus dorsi muscle presented direct muscular insertions on the iliac crest in 13.33% of cases. The fetal dissections showed that before 30 weeks of development, the anterior part of the muscle was directly inserted on the iliac crest, and after it was separated from it by the thoracolumbar fascia. Although the harvesting of the Latissimus dorsi in continuity with the thoracolumbar fascia has been described in pedicled flaps, it is usually considered that it is impossible to harvest Latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flaps in contact with the iliac crest, because there are no perforating vessels from the thoracolumbar fascia to the skin. According to our results, in some cases, it could be possible to harvest a pedicled musculo-cutaneous LD flap more distal that it is usually described.