Takayuki Honda

Unilateral coronal synostosis treated by internal forehead distraction.

A 1-year-old infant with left hemicoronal synostosis was treated by distraction osteogenesis of the craniofacial skeleton using an internal distraction device. Surgery was performed through a coronal incision. The frontal bone and upper half of both orbits were first osteotomized en bloc after minimal epidural dissection of the supraorbital area and no epidural dissection around the coronal osteotomy site. The lateral one fourth of the frontal bone, including the right lateral half of the orbit, was left intact. The internal distraction device was fixed in the left temporal area. A 0.5-mm per day rate of distraction was performed up to an elongation of 17 mm after a 5-day latency period. The distraction device was removed after a consolidation period of 2 months. The results obtained were satisfactory, with symmetry of the forehead, orbit, and nose achieved without complications. The merits of this procedure are no extradural dead space after the operation (which prevents infection), shortened operative time, reduced blood loss, filling in the bone gap created by advancement with new bone, acceptable cosmesis by the parents during distraction, and no fixation device left after the second operation.

Efficacy of distraction osteogenesis for mandibular reconstruction in previously irradiated areas: clinical experiences.

The efficacy of distraction osteogenesis in an irradiated area is controversial, although this procedure is now widely used in the field of craniomaxillofacial surgery. We report the clinical results from 4 patients with mandibular defects treated by lengthening of the irradiated mandibles. All patients had a mandibular defect caused by ablation of a malignant tumor. They had undergone radiotherapy at a total dose of 30 to 50 Gy to the surgical site after tumorectomy. Distraction osteogenesis was used as the secondary reconstruction method in 6 sites of the remaining irradiated mandibles and in 1 site of the transferred vascularized scapula after radiotherapy. The transported segment was obtained by corticotomy with an initial gap of 0 to 2 mm, and internal extension plates were used. Distraction was commenced after a latency period of 7 to 10 days and performed at the rate of 0.25 to 1.0 mm/d. The total amount of distraction and consolidation periods ranged from 15 to 25 mm and 120 to 193 days, respectively. In 5 of the 6 sites in the remaining irradiated mandibles, satisfactory bone formation in the distraction gap was observed, although a fracture after new bone formation was observed in 1 site. Fibrous callus formation was observed in 1 irradiated site only, and satisfactory results were obtained in another site of transferred vascularized scapula in the same patient. From these experiences, we believe that distraction may provide a reconstruction option for mandibular defects even under irradiated conditions because the procedure is simple and less invasive.

Reconstruction of the cervical trachea using a prefabricated corticoperiosteal flap from the femur.

We treated a severe cervical fistula with a defect of tracheal cartilage using prefabrication of a corticoperiosteal flap combined with a cutaneous flap.The patient was a 16-year-old male with a cervical tracheal fistula that developed after a tracheostomy. Almost all the circumference of the trachea just below the cricoid cartilage up to the 4th tracheal cartilage had been lost.The reconstruction was performed in 2 series of operations as follows; repair of tracheal framework using a prefabricated corticoperiosteal flap, which was harvested from the femur and composed of a saphenous flap, and then complete closure using a local hinge flap and a free auricular cartilage graft. A free corticoperiosteal flap composed of a saphenous flap was transferred to the site just lateral to the defect. The corticoperiosteal flap, which has a flat shape, was bent in a reverse U-shaped semitubular fashion and the mucosal grafts were used to cover its inner surface. Two months later, the prefabricated corticoperiosteal flap and the saphenous flap were transposed leaving a part of the fistula as a tracheostoma. The remaining tracheostoma was closed secondarily. A satisfactory and stable result was obtained over an 8-year follow-up period.We believe that the procedure demonstrated here should be considered as a choice for the stable reconstruction of a cervical trachea.

Reconstruction of a severe maxillofacial deformity after tumorectomy and irradiation using distraction osteogenesis and LeFort I osteotomy before vascularized bone graft.

We present the successful reconstruction of a large mandibular defect with a severe maxillofacial deformity after malignant tumor resection and irradiation. The patient was a 16-year-old boy with a defect in the left mandible, which extended from the mandibular body to the condylar process and hypoplasia of the maxillozygomatic complex on the left side as a result of ablation and radiotherapy of a grown rhabdomyosarcoma in the left infratemporal fossa at the age of 10. We planned a two-stage reconstruction because of his wide mandibular defect and hypoplasia. LeFort I type osteotomy to correct the maxillary declination was combined with mandibular lengthening to decrease the width of the defect in the first stage. New bone formation was confirmed at the distraction site 4 months after surgery, and the second stage was performed. A free latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap with a vascularized scapula and rib was transferred to reconstruct the ramus of the mandible, zygomatic arch, and soft tissues. This procedure resulted in satisfactory results. In conclusion, the combination of distraction osteogenesis and microsurgical bone transplantation facilitated the straightforward reconstruction of a three-dimensional deformity with huge bony defects. We think that this combined surgical procedure will become a favorable option in the treatment of severe maxillomandibular deformities with bone defects.

The medial surface of the mandible as an alternative source of bone grafts in orthognathic surgery.

A technique of harvesting bone grafts from the medial surface of the angle of the mandible during a bilateral sagittal split osteotomy procedure is described. In 20 patients who underwent mandibular setback for the correction of class III dentofacial deformities, bone grafts were harvested from the medial mandibular angle and used for simultaneous augmentation of the midface or for interpositioning and stabilization of the maxilla after LeFort I maxillary anterior or inferior repositioning. The mean postoperative follow-up was 6 months (range, 3-12 months). No complications occurred, and postoperative morbidity was similar to that encountered by patients who undergo sagittal split osteotomy without bone harvest. The technique described shows that the medial mandibular angle is a suitable donor site for membranous bone grafts in patients who undergo sagittal split osteotomy.

Alveolar reconstruction by distraction osteogenesis under unfavorable conditions.

We present a patient who underwent alveolar reconstruction using vertical mandibular lengthening by distraction osteogenesis under unfavorable conditions. Part of the alveolar bone in the center of the mandible was resected, together with a squamous cell carcinoma located on the oral floor. We used vertical mandibular lengthening from the region of the remaining mandible inferior to the bony defect to reconstruct the alveolus, combined with a free musculocutaneous flap as a cover. However, the transferred flap underwent complete necrosis and was replaced with another flap on the seventh postoperative day. Radiotherapy at a total dose of 50 Gy was administered from day 75 to day 109 after completion of the distraction, because of suspected residual tumor. Despite the severe conditions, most of the distraction gap became filled with new bone. This case indicates that distraction osteogenesis can be used even in irradiated or poorly vascularized areas, as in our patient.

Orbicularis oris myomucosal island flap transfer to the nose

We developed the orbicularis oris myomucosal island flap (OOMMIF) to reconstruct the nasal lining in one stage. The OOMMIF blood supply derives from the intramuscular vascular network which communicates with the submucosal vascular plexus via the vascular network formed by the deep ascending branches of the superior labial artery. An oral mucosal flap of approximately 2 x 3cm can be harvested from the upper lip pedicled solely on the orbicularis oris muscle. We transferred this flap to a nasal lining defect located in the ala in four patients, the nasal floor in two patients, and the columella in two patients. The flap donor site was closed primarily. All flaps took completely with satisfactory results. Minor complications included slight asymmetry of the vermilion height due to donor site contracture in one patient and flap drooping in two patients corrected by secondary debulking. Upper lip functional loss was not observed, although upper lip hypoaesthesia occurred in one patient, which disappeared within 6 months. An OOMMIF can be easily elevated with minimal donor site morbidity. Thus, the OOMMIF is a good candidate for one-stage reconstruction of small nasal lining defects.

Secondary craniofacial reconstruction of huge frontoethmoidal encephalomeningocele after primary neurosurgical repair.

Frontoethmoidal encephalomeningocele is a congenital herniation of intracranial contents, including meninges, brain and part of the ventricle, through a bony defect in the skull at the junction of the frontal and ethmoid bones. Management involves meticulous preoperative assessment using computed tomography scans and magnetic resonance imaging, and surgical repair of the central nervous system, skeletal deformities of the orbit, downward displacement of the medial canthi, upward displacement of the eyebrows, and nasal deformities. Frontoethmoidal encephaloceles are best operated on via a craniofacial approach which enables repair of the central nervous system and skeletal deformities in one stage. However, a two-stage reconstruction must be considered when a prolonged operative time is expected or the patients general condition increases the risks. There have only been a few reports of two-stage reconstructions. We performed a two-stage reconstruction of a huge frontoethmoidal encephalomeningocele, with neurosurgical repair during the first procedure and craniofacial reconstruction during the second procedure. We report on the surgical procedures and the problems encountered.