TY - JOUR
T1 - Free flaps
T2 - Outcomes and complications in head and neck reconstructions
AU - Bianchi, Bernardo
AU - Copelli, Chiara
AU - Ferrari, Silvano
AU - Ferri, Andrea
AU - Sesenna, Enrico
PY - 2009/12
Y1 - 2009/12
N2 - Between 2000 and 2007, 376 free-flap transfers were performed in 352 patients at the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Parma, Italy. They included 303 reconstructions after cancer surgery (80.6%), 28 secondary reconstructions (7.4%), 32 transfers for facial paralysis (8.5%) and 13 reconstructions for other pathology (3.5%) such as osteonecrosis and ameloblastoma. We determined the rates of major and minor flap, donor-site and systemic complications and analysed their relationships with factors such as aetiology, patient age, smoking history and the presence of comorbid conditions. For the free flaps examined in this study, the overall complication rate was 47%. Major complications occurred in 20.7% of the cases and minor complications in 26.3%. The major flap, donor-site and systemic complication rates were 11.9, 3.2 and 5.6%, respectively. Total flap loss occurred in 15 cases (4%). The minor flap, donor-site and systemic complication rates were 19.1, 4 and 3.2% respectively. Aetiology, patient age, smoking history and the presence of comorbid conditions were related to higher rates of major and minor complications, although these were not statistically significant.
AB - Between 2000 and 2007, 376 free-flap transfers were performed in 352 patients at the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Parma, Italy. They included 303 reconstructions after cancer surgery (80.6%), 28 secondary reconstructions (7.4%), 32 transfers for facial paralysis (8.5%) and 13 reconstructions for other pathology (3.5%) such as osteonecrosis and ameloblastoma. We determined the rates of major and minor flap, donor-site and systemic complications and analysed their relationships with factors such as aetiology, patient age, smoking history and the presence of comorbid conditions. For the free flaps examined in this study, the overall complication rate was 47%. Major complications occurred in 20.7% of the cases and minor complications in 26.3%. The major flap, donor-site and systemic complication rates were 11.9, 3.2 and 5.6%, respectively. Total flap loss occurred in 15 cases (4%). The minor flap, donor-site and systemic complication rates were 19.1, 4 and 3.2% respectively. Aetiology, patient age, smoking history and the presence of comorbid conditions were related to higher rates of major and minor complications, although these were not statistically significant.
KW - free flaps
KW - head and neck
KW - major and minor complications
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jcms.2009.05.003
DO - 10.1016/j.jcms.2009.05.003
M3 - Article
C2 - 19553132
AN - SCOPUS:70350569330
VL - 37
SP - 438
EP - 442
JO - Journal of Maxillofacial Surgery
JF - Journal of Maxillofacial Surgery
SN - 1010-5182
IS - 8
ER -