The temporalis muscle flap in oral reconstruction. A cadaveric, animal and clinical study.

The possibility of rotating the temporalis muscle down into the mouth, after division of the zygomatic arch and base of the coronoid, was studied in cadaver material and in the rhesus monkey. Six human subjects are described in whom this muscle flap was employed successfully in oral reconstruction after either hemimandibulectomy or hemimaxillectomy. The flap remained viable in all subjects, and in six experimental monkeys. It proved useful in contour restoration, repair of the palate and of the floor of mouth. Further work is being undertaken on combination with skin grafts and myocutaneous flaps.