Assessment of the quality of life of mandible defect after reconstruction with fibula flap

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the quality of life (QOL) of patients who underwent resection of mandible and reconstruction by fibula flap. Methods: A total of seventy six patients who underwent resection of mandible and reconstruction by fibula flap admitted to The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2013 to August 2016 were prospectively analyzed. In the preoperative and postoperative 3 month, 12 months, the QOL of these patients were assessed by using the 14-item oral health impact profile questionnaires (OHIP), The University of Washington quality of life (UW-QOL) and the European organization for research and treatment of cancer quality of life questionnaire head and neck module (EORTC-QLQ-H&N). Results: The OHIP-14 questionnaire showed the highest score of the three months after surgery was mental discomfort (73.0±11.9) and psychological disorder (72.1±11.9), and it was difficult to be relieved over time. In the 12 months after surgery, the lowest scores were physiological pain (35.0±8.6) and disability (37.5±10.2), and 87% (66/76) patients thought that the flap repair worked well. The UW-QOL questionnaire showed that the scores of the patients' chewing, taste and salivary were significantly reduced by 3 months after the operation, and they were still unable to recover to preoperative level 12 months after surgery. The EORTC-QLQ-H&N35 questionnaire showed that swallowing, language, and diet scored higher in the three months after surgery, but could be restored to preoperative levels 12 months after surgery. The score was higher in 12 months after the operation than before surgery and was related to radiotherapy in some patients. Conclusions: Using fibula flap to repair the mandible defect can restore the patient's jaw function and improve the quality of life of the patients.