オトガイ下皮弁により再建した高齢頬粘膜癌の 1 例

The submental island flap is an axial-pattern flap with the submental artery and vein, branches of the facial artery/vein, as the feeding and draining blood vessels. The advantages of this flap are that it is a thin and supple flap, has a long vascular stem, the flap donor site can be sewn temporarily, and the operation time is shorter than with a free flap. The disadvantage is that the submandibular region cannot be dissected, and the indication for the use of this flap should be limited to N0 cases. The patient was an 88-year-old woman in whom excision of T2N0M0 buccal mucosal cancer near the corner of the mouth resulted in a surgical defect measuring 7.5 cm × 5 cm in size, extending from the corner of the mouth to the floor of the oral cavity. An 8 cm × 6 cm submental island flap was harvested, and the defect reconstructed. There was no recurrence after 3 years, and no aesthetic or functional problems were encountered. A submental island flap appears to be useful for reconstructing cheek defects in the elderly who have difficulty in long time surgery.