Supraclavicular Artery Island Flap in Head and Neck Reconstruction.
Abstract
Objective: Share our practices for the use of the supraclavicular artery
island flap (SCAIF) in head and neck reconstruction. Methods: A
retrospective review was conducted from October 2017 to June 2020 on
patients who had undergone SCAIF reconstructions of head and neck
defects in our hospital. The following data were collected: Age, gender,
primary disease, type of surgical defect, flap harvest time, flap
dimensions, length of hospital stay, complications and clinical
outcomes. Results: Nine patients had undergone SCAIF reconstruction and
three of them also had undergone pectoralis major myocutaneous flap
reconstruction simultaneously. All patients were male with the average
age of 60.56±11.27 years. Four reconstructions were performed to repair
anterior neck skin defects or fistulae related to previous treatment.
The SCAIF was used in three patients to repair defects following
hypopharyngeal resection or total laryngectomy. Two reconstructions were
performed to repair defects following salvage surgery of recurrent head
and neck tumor. The average flap harvest time was 31.78±4.55 mins. The
average flap size of was 15.22±0.63 × 5.89±0.74 cm. The average length
of hospital stay was 37.67±18.48 days. No complete flap loss or major
complications occurred during their stays in hospital. Two patients had
partial necrosis of the distal portion of the flap. One patient
developed fistula. No donor site complications and compromised shoulder
function were observed. Conclusions: The SCAIF can be successfully used
for reconstruction of head and neck defects with good cosmetic outcomes
and limited morbidity.