Reconstruction of Defects After Oral Cancer Surgery With the Superior Thyroid Artery Perforator Flap

ObjectiveThe superior thyroid artery perforator flap (STAPF) was previously presented as a type of locoregional pedicled flap for lateral facial and temple defects. In this study, we aimed to present our clinical experience with this flap for the reconstruction of soft tissue defects after oral cancer surgery.MethodsFrom February 2019 to December 2022, 24 patients with oral cancers at the School and Hospital of Stomatology, Peking University were included. Among these patients, 10 had cancers located in the tongue, five in the cheek inside the oral cavity, three in the lower gingiva, two in the upper gingiva, two in the floor of the mouth, and two in the palate. All patients were treated with extended tumor resection, neck dissection, and STAPFs to reconstruct the soft tissue defects. The details of the flap, including the flap size, venous flow, vascular pedicle length, the attatched muscle, and operation time were evaluated.ResultsThe dimensions of the flap skin paddle ranged from 3 cm x 5 cm to 6 x 14 cm. Fourteen patients had a closely concomitant superior thyroid vein perforator. Ten patients had non-closely concomitant superior thyroid veins perforators which retrograde external jugular vein. The vascular pedicle length ranged from 5 to 9 cm. The infrahyoid muscle group or sternocleidomastoid muscle was included in the flaps in three patients. A total of 23/24 flaps were successful.ConclusionsThe STAPF is a viable reconstructive option for patients with oral cancers. It has the advantages of being robust, being thin, short operation time, and minor donor site complications.Level of Evidence4 Laryngoscope, 2024 We evaluated the usage of the superior thyroid artery perforator flap to cover the defects of oral cavity after surgery for oral cancer. We summarized the blood supply characteristics and application of the percutaneous branch flap of the superior thyroid artery. image