Tongue flap revisited

Aim: To assess the usefulness of single-staged posteriorly based dorsal tongue flap in oral cavity reconstruction following ablative surgery, in terms of flap viability, functional outcome and donor site morbidity. Materials and Methods: A prospective database of patients who were reconstructed with dorsal tongue flap between July 2006 and November 2010 was used. Results: There were 27 patients who had tongue flap reconstruction in this period. Size of the defect following excision ranged from 3.5-5 cm in greatest dimension. Marginal mandibulectomy was done in thirteen patients and in twelve patients mucoperiosteal stripping was done. There was no partial or total flap loss in our series. Two patients had minor salivary leak which was managed conservatively. All the patients had adequate mouth opening, good swallowing and speech following surgery. Conclusion: Dorsal tongue flap is a simple and reliable flap for intra oral reconstruction. It provides good functional results without much morbidity.