Recontouring commissuroplasty after reconstruction of large defects after resections for head and neck cancer with commissure involvement using an anterolateral thigh flap

Abstract

The aim of this study was to describe our technique for recontouring commissuroplasty after reconstruction of large, through-and-through perioral defects in patients with head and neck cancer with emphasis on functional and cosmetic outcome. This technique was used in 15 patients aged between 33 and 66 years. Recontouring required liposuction, arrow-headed advancement flap, and anchoring vector sutures. All patients had satisfactory functional and cosmetic results and healed without complication. Function was evaluated to find out whether the patient was free of drooling and able to accommodate more food postoperatively. Aesthetic evaluation was subjective, and the patients themselves decided using a visual analogue cosmesis scale. Our combined procedures provide a predictable way of creating a new oral commissure, improving postoperative drooling, and increasing the intraoral space after reconstruction.