Single-Step Nasal Reconstruction With Osteocutaneous Forearm Flap After Total Rhinectomy

Abstract

Nasal defects resulting from tumor excision can be classified according to tissues involved, such as skin, cartilage, and bone. Although in the case of "simple" defects, reconstruction with loco-regional flap eventually associated with cartilage grafts can lead to satisfactory results; in the case of total or partial rhinectomy, a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 7 operations have to be performed in the current series to achieve an acceptable end result. We present the case of a total rhinectomy reconstruction in a single-step procedure with an osteocutaneous forearm free flap (RFOFF). A 50-year-old man underwent total rhinectomy to excise a pathologically proven T4aN0 moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of the nose; contemporary single-step reconstruction with an RFOFF was performed. Adjuvant radiotherapy was performed. At 18 months of follow-up, the patient is free of disease and no postirradiation flap damage has been experienced; the flap notably did not appear to be bulky. We believe that the RFOFF is morphologically and functionally better than other flaps owing to its capability to adapt to the new environments of the nasal cavity, and to avoid, when possible, a three-dimensional reconstruction of the same.