The versatility of the free lateral arm flap in head and neck soft tissue reconstruction: clinical experience of 210 cases.

A study of the authors' experience with 210 free lateral arm flaps used to repair head and neck oncological defects over an 8-year period. Patients' ages ranged from 4 to 83 years (average: 49.7 years). One hundred and forty-one were male and 66 female. Three patients received two consecutive flaps each. They were used to reconstruct: the tongue, 53 cases; retromolar trigone, 42 cases; soft/hard palate, 34 cases; skin/facial contour, 19 cases; hypopharynx, 17 cases; buccal mucosa, 12 cases; lips, five cases. Flap cutaneous dimensions ranged from 4 x 2 cm to 17 x 8 cm. Flap was composed of: skin and fascia, 18 cases; sensate (neurovascular) skin, six cases; subcutaneous fat tissue, five cases; skin and vascularised nerve graft, three cases, skin and partial triceps muscle, three cases. Nerve coaptations were performed for all lip reconstructions. All flaps survived except for nine (success rate: 95.2%). Severe postoperative clinical complications preceded flap failure and death in two cases. All but six donor sites were closed primarily. Complications related to the donor site were: paresthesia of the forearm, 210 cases; dog ear, 16 cases; hypertropic scar, 14 cases; weakness, nine cases; haematoma, five cases; seroma, three cases; dehiscence, one case. Radial nerve injury was not observed in this series. The lateral arm flap can be considered safe and versatile for most soft tissue head and neck microsurgical reconstructions. The possibility of sensory recovery through neural anastomoses and low donor site morbidity enhances its efficiency.