Keith E. Blackwell

Radial forearm free flap pharyngoesophageal reconstruction.

Objectives This study evaluates the outcome of pharyngoesophageal reconstruction using radial forearm free flaps with regard to primary wound healing, speech, and swallowing in patients requiring laryngopharyngectomy.

Selective Laryngeal Adductor Denervationreinnervation: A New Surgical Treatment for Adductor Spasmodic Dysphonia

During the past decade, botulinum toxin (Botox) has emerged as the accepted treatment for adductor spasmodic dysphonia (ASD). This therapy, which produces bilateral weakness of the thyroarytenoid muscle, undoubtedly produces physiologic effects that are beneficial to patients with ASD. However, it also has important limitations, including the need for repeated injections, the unpredictable relationship between dosage and response, and the possibility of short-term swallowing and voice problems. In this study, we will report our preliminary experience with a new surgical treatment for ASD. In this new procedure, the adductor branch of the recurrent laryngeal nerve is selectively denervated bilaterally, and its distal nerve stumps are reinnervated with branches of the ansa cervicalis nerve. Each of the patients was followed for at least 12 months; the median follow-up is 36 months. The outcome of the operation in 21 consecutive patients is reported. Nineteen of the 21 patients were judged to have an overall severity of dysphonia that was “absent to mild” following the procedure. Only 1 patient underwent further treatment with Botox postoperatively. The implications of this new procedure for ASD are discussed.

Octogenarian Free Flap Reconstruction: Complications and Cost of Therapy

OBJECTIVE: The study goal was to document the reliability, incidence of complications, and cost of therapy for patients older than 80 years who undergo microvascular head and neck reconstruction. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirteen octogenarians underwent free flap reconstruction of defects resulting from the treatment of head and neck cancer at an academic tertiary care medical center. The incidence of medical and reconstructive complications and the cost of hospitalization were compared with those for 99 younger patients who were treated during the same time period. RESULTS: There were no cases of free flap failure or significant reconstructive complications in the octogenarians. The incidence of medical complications was 62% in the octogenarians and 15% in the younger patients. The average cost of therapy was

Reconstruction of massive defects in the head and neck: The role of simultaneous distant and regional flaps

54,702 per octogenarian patient compared with

Propofol for maintenance of general anesthesia: a technique to limit blood loss during endoscopic sinus surgery

30,397 per younger patient. The increased incidence of medical complications and increased cost arose primarily from an increased severity of preoperative systemic illness in the octogenarians. However, controlling for comorbidity did not eliminate the discrepancy in medical complications between the octogenarians and the younger patients. CONCLUSIONS: Although microvascular head and neck reconstruction in the elderly is very reliable, the incidence of medical complications and the cost of therapy are significantly increased in octogenarians.

Microvascular flap reconstruction of the mandible: A comparison of bone grafts and bridging plates for restoration of mandibular continuity

Massive defects resulting from excision of advanced head and neck tumors may not be amenable to reconstruction using a single technique of tissue transfer. Sixteen patients undergoing reconstruction using simultaneous free flaps and pedicled regional flaps are presented.

Continuous tissue oxygen tension measurement as a monitor of free-flap viability

PURPOSE Most cases of endoscopic sinus surgery are amenable to techniques using local anesthesia with monitored sedation. However, it is frequently the preference of the patient to have surgery under general anesthesia. One major drawback of general anesthesia is the increased bleeding encountered which can interfere with optimal visualization of the intranasal anatomy. In this study, an analysis was made to see if technique of general anesthesia has an impact on estimated blood loss in patients undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery. METHODS Twenty-five patients undergoing outpatient endoscopic sinus surgery under general anesthesia over a 1-year period were reviewed retrospectively to determine if anesthetic technique had an impact on estimated blood loss. Twelve patients were identified who received a continuous intravenous infusion of the nonbarbituate hypnotic agent propofol as the primary anesthetic agent, and 13 patients were identified who received anesthesia based on inhalational isoflurane. RESULTS There was no difference between the duration of surgery or the intraoperative mean arterial blood pressure when comparing the two groups. The average estimated blood loss in the propofol group was 101 mL compared with an average estimated blood loss of 251 mL in the isoflurane group (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS General anesthesia based on propofol infusion may have the advantage of decreased bleeding compared with conventional inhalation agents, making endoscopic sinus surgery technically easier and safer by improving endoscopic visualization of the surgical field. This anesthetic technique may have other applications in otolaryngology, where bleeding within a confined space frequently can interfere with visibility.

Salvage surgery with free flap reconstruction: Factors affecting outcome after treatment of recurrent head and neck squamous carcinoma

OBJECTIVE To compare the efficacy of vascularized bone grafts and bridging mandibular reconstruction plates for restoration of mandibular continuity in patients who undergo free flap reconstruction after segmental mandibulectomy. Study design and setting A total of 210 patients underwent microvascular flap reconstruction after segmental mandibulectomy. The rate of successful restoration of mandibular continuity in 151 patients with vascularized bone grafts was compared to 59 patients with soft tissue free flaps combined with bridging plates. RESULTS Mandibular continuity was restored successfully for the duration of the follow-up period in 94% of patients who received bone grafts compared with 92% of patients with bridging mandibular reconstruction plates. This difference was not statistically significant. In patients who received bone grafts, most cases of reconstructive failure occurred during the perioperative period and were due to patient death or free flap thrombosis. In patients who received bridging plates, all instances of reconstructive failure were delayed for several months and were due to hardware extrusion or plate fracture. CONCLUSIONS Vascularized bone-containing free flaps are preferred for reconstruction of most segmental mandibulectomy defects in patients undergoing microvascular flap reconstruction. However, use of a soft tissue flap with a bridging mandibular reconstruction plate is a reasonable alternative in patients with lateral oromandibular defects when the nature of the defect favors use of a soft tissue free flap. SIGNIFICANCE Both bone grafts and bridging plates represent effective methods of restoring mandibular continuity following segmental mandibulectomy, with the former being the preferred technique for patients undergoing microvascular reconstruction.

Donor Site Evaluation for Fibula Free Flap Transfer

&NA; Early recognition of vascular compromise within microvascular free‐tissue transfers is essential if reexploration is to prove successful. Tissue oxygen tension is increasingly recognized to be a sensitive and reliable index of tissue perfusion, and preliminary studies suggest that it may be of value in the assessment of free‐flap viability. We describe our investigation into the application of an implantable microcatheter oxygen sensor in the monitoring of free flaps used in head and neck and extremity reconstruction. In a preliminary study using the rabbit model, we sought to evaluate the response of oxygen tension as an index of tissue perfusion in myocutaneous (n = 20) and osteomyocutaneous flaps (n = 5) under conditions of arterial and venous occlusion. A clinical study was then undertaken to evaluate the role of this method in the monitoring of surface and buried free flaps. In 30 heterogeneous free‐tissue transfers, sensors placed intraoperatively were used to provide continuous information about flap oxygen tension (mean monitoring period 3.2 ± 0.8 days). The data generated were correlated with changes in clinical parameters and routine flap observations. Results for experimental and clinical data have confirmed the efficacy of continuous tissue oxygen measurements using this device as a method that provides an objective, recordable index of free‐tissue transfer viability in a variety of circumstances and vascular events. Tissue oxygen tension is a suitable index by which to evaluate flap viability with the probe placed in muscle or bone but is unreliable when used for the monitoring of revascularized cutaneous flaps. (Plast. Reconstr. Surg. 99: 763, 1997.)

Laryngeal dysplasia: epidemiology and treatment outcome.

Objective: To determine factors predicting the outcome after salvage surgery with microvascular flap reconstruction for recurrent squamous cell cancer (SCC) of the head and neck.