Immediate reconstruction with free small intestinal transfer after radical operation of the malignant tumor of oral cavity

Abstract

Recent advances in the microsurgery have enabled to reconstruct a large defect of the oral cavity by a one-stage procedure.
We reconstructed two patients with a free revascularized intestinal graft immediately after radical neck dissection and resection of oral malignant tumor.
As the wall of the jejunum is soft, thin and pliable, it fitted nicely to any difficult intraoral defects.
Postooperative functions were better than those obtained with conventional skin flap methods in terms of deglutition and speech.
Provided the patients are carefully and critically selected the described procedure appeares to be a rational substitute for other reconstructive procedures, since in terms of function and cosmetic appearance, the results are highly satisfactory.