[The use of free forearm flaps in oropharyngeal neoplastic surgery. Our experience with 52 cases].

The authors report their experience in the management of a series of 52 patients treated in Nantes for repair of loss of substance in the bucco-pharyngeal cavity, using a free antebrachial flap. Its fundamental value is to provide a very fine, supple cutaneous sheet of large surface area, which is particularly adapted to bucco-pharyngeal cancer surgery by limiting as much as possible the anatomical and functional sequelae and thereby allowing much larger resections to be carried out. After a review of the anatomy, a study of the indications, precautions and results obtained in this series is presented.