Chemotherapy-induced Nasopharyngeal Stenosis Treated with Bilateral Facial Artery Musculomucosal Flaps.

Abstract

Summary:We report the first case of a 50-year-old woman who developed nasopharyngeal stenosis (NPS) after chemotherapy for malignant lymphoma. The chemotherapy was effective, but NPS developed following treatment. The tumors of the pharynx and soft palate became necrotic and turned into scar tissue, which caused NPS, especially in the caudal part of the soft palate. The patient developed nasal obstruction and obstructive sleep apnea due to the stenosis. The patient underwent 2 surgeries to resolve the NPS: the first was a simple incision of the stenosis, and the second was Z-plasty and mucous membrane transplantation from the posterior pharyngeal wall. However, the NPS recurred soon after these 2 surgeries. We used bilateral inferior-based facial artery musculomucosal (FAMM) flaps as a solution for recurrent NPS, and it was effective in preventing further stenosis. The blood supply to the flaps was stable, and the size of the flaps was enough to compensate for the area of tissue deficit. The use of bilateral FAMM flaps allowed both sides of the NPS to be corrected, and the flaps provided sufficient retracting strength to keep expanding the nasopharyngeal space by pulling from both sides. After the operation, nasal obstruction was decreased, and the sleep quality of the patient improved significantly. The velopharyngeal function was maintained, and there was no symptom of nasopharyngeal insufficiency. Our results suggest that the bilateral FAMM flap is a suitable method to rescue intractable cases of NPS.