Volume 44, Issue 1 e31101
CASE REPORT

Inverted gracilis muscle free flap with intraoral vascular anastomoses for facial reanimation in vessel depleted neck: A case report

Davide De Cicco MD

Corresponding Author

Davide De Cicco MD

Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive and Odontostomatological Sciences, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy

Correspondence

Davide De Cicco, Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive and Odontostomatological Sciences, University of Naples “Federico II”, via Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy.

Email: [email protected]; [email protected]

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Gian Battista Bottini MD, DMD, MRSCEd

Gian Battista Bottini MD, DMD, MRSCEd

Department of Oral and Craniomaxillofacial Surgery, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria

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Daniele Lizambri MD

Daniele Lizambri MD

Private Practice, Rome, Italy

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Alexander Gaggl MD, DMD

Alexander Gaggl MD, DMD

Department of Oral and Craniomaxillofacial Surgery, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria

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First published: 24 August 2023

Abstract

The reinnervated gracilis muscle free flap represents a workhorse of facial reanimation. This procedure is carried out secondarily to parotid resections, due to advanced tumors that spread to the surrounding structures. Finding recipient vessels might be problematic if other reconstructive procedures are needed to address the defects. This paper describes a procedure to inset a reinnervated gracilis muscle free flap in a vessel depleted patient, through intraoral anastomoses to avoid venous interposition grafts. A 52-year-old man developed an advanced adenocarcinoma of the deep parotid lobe and underwent radical surgical excision including the mandibular ramus, condyle, and facial soft tissues (defect size: 8 cm × 4 cm). A secondary double-flap reconstruction restored the mandibular defect and inset a cross-face nerve graft. A third intervention finalized the facial reanimation with a 10 cm reinnervated gracilis muscle free flap. The gracilis flap inset was inverted resulting in the proximal flap (pedicle side) lying on the buccal aspect. This allowed vessel joining from the contralateral side via intraoral anastomoses. No complications occurred within and after the intervention. However, the adenocarcinoma relapsed before reinnervation of the gracilis. The patient also had distant brain and lung metastases and received best supportive care. The inverted gracilis muscle free flap may represent an option for attaining facial reanimation in vessel-depleted patients avoiding long interposition venous grafts.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.

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