ACTA FAC MED NAISS 22009; 26 (1): 25-31

Original article

 

MICROVASCULAR OSTEOCUTANEOUS FLAPS IN THE RECONSTRUCTION OF WAR INJURIES OF THE MANDIBULA
 

 

Jefta Kozarski1,
Srboljub Stosic2

1 Clinic for Plastic Surgery and Burns, Military Medical Academy, Belgrade
2 Clinic of Maxillofacial Surgery, Military Medical Academy, Belgrade

 

 SUMMARY

The paper aims to present the results of microvascular reconstruction of mandibular defects caused by war in former Yugoslavia. We retrospectively analyzed 45 patients with microvascular reconstruction of massive mandibular bone and soft tissue defects during the civil war in Yugoslavia. The defects were reconstructed with 14 scapular, 11 radial forearm, and 20 fibular osteocutaneous flaps. The patients were monitored for three months up to 12 years. The wounds were infected in 8.8% of the patients and bone necrosis occurred in 4.4 %. There was partial bone necrosis in 2.2% of the patients, and nonunion in 4.4%. The patients were hospitalized for 16 to 73 days. The results were considered successful in 96.8 % of the patients.
Microvascular free flap is a versatile method for the reconstruction of massive mandibular bone and soft tissue defects caused by war.

Keywords: mandibular reconstruction, war trauma, free flaps, vascularized bone graft