The cervico-submental keystone island flap for locoregional head and neck reconstruction

Abstract

Background: Locally advanced head and neck cancer often requires wide resections of the cheek and parotid gland, and in an ageing population preferred reconstructive options aim to avoid lengthy operating times or high risk surgery. While most large parotid defects traditionally require free flap reconstruction, we describe a new and versatile locoregional flap that has been shown to be reliable, simple and safe. Methods: We describe the cervico-submental (CSM) keystone-design perforator island flap for head and neck reconstruction, including an analysis of 33 consecutive patients with a range of head and neck defects. The flap was raised based on perforators of the external carotid artery a..