Assessment of functional morbidity in the radial forearm free flap donor site.

Abstract

To quantitate the functional morbidity to the hand and wrist due to the harvest of a radial forearm free fasciocutaneous flap. Case-control study with age-matched control groups. Tertiary care hospital. A consecutive sample of 21 patients who underwent a radial forearm free flap reconstruction of the head and neck from June 1993 to February 1995 constitute the experimental group. Thirteen of those eligible patients participated in the study. Two control groups were identified. One cohort included 13 patients with head and neck cancer who underwent free tissue transfer other than the radial forearm flap. The other cohort consisted of 16 subjects who were healthy volunteers, patients without cancer, or patients who were considered to be cured of cancer. OUTCOME-MEASURES: Wrist range of motion, grip strength, and sensation in the radial, ulnar, and median nerve distributions on the hands, bilaterally. No significant differences (P > .05) were detected between the groups for the modalities that were tested. There is minimal functional morbidity associated with the harvest of the radial forearm free fasciocutaneous flap.