Does the Osteocutaneous Radial Forearm Flap still have a role in Head and Neck Reconstuction: Outcomes in 30 consecutive cases

Abstract

s / British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery 52 (2014) e75–e127 e81 gold standard of 100% was set for the post-fixation specimen length to be above 7 mm. Methods: The audit was retrospective and assessed patients over 12 months from January to December 2013. Cases were identified from a departmental logbook of minor oral surgical procedures. Data was extracted from clinic letters, histopathology and haematology reports. Results: In total 56 cases were performed. One case was abandoned and two were non-arterial samples therefore excluded, leaving 53 cases. The average length of the post-fixation specimen was 10.85 mm. 39 patients (74%) had post-fixation specimens of 7 mm or above (range 7-22 mm). The remaining 14 patients (26%) had specimens less than 7 mm (range 3-6 mm). Conclusions: We recommend that a minimum of 10 mm pre-fixation specimen length should be taken. This should be measured clinically before excision. If the clinician is unable to harvest this length then reasons should be recorded. Reaudit is recommended in 6 months. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bjoms.2014.07.118