Versatility of Local Skin Flaps in Facial Reconstruction after Resection of Malignant Cutaneous Tumors

Abstract

Background: The most prevalent malignant tumors of the human face are basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and malignant melanoma. BCC constitutes more than three quarters of skin cancers of the face and the rest primarily consist of SCC. Objectives: The aim of our study is to describe different types of local cutaneous flaps that are versatile and reliable in reconstruction of post-oncological facial defects. Patients and methods: This prospective study was conducted on patients admitted to the Plastic Surgery Department, Qena Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University from May 2019 to May 2020 (one-year duration). A total of fifty patients with malignant tumors of facial skin were included in our study. Results: Twenty nine patients had reconstructed their defects by local random flaps, while 21 patients had reconstructed their defects by local axial flaps. The most random flap applied was rhomboid flap in 14 (28%) patients The most axial flap applied was forehead flap in 6 (12%) patients and nasolabial flap in 6 (12%) patients . Conclusion: The reconstruction of post ablative face defects, using local flaps, is a real challenge from the perspective of surgical techniques, considering the difficulties determined by the restoring of three dimensional structures and the complexity of reconstructive methods.