Cancer Institute A national cancer institute
designated cancer center

Gordon K. Lee, M.D.

Publication Details

  • Tube-in-a-Tube Anterolateral Thigh Flap for Reconstruction of a Complex Esophageal and Anterior Neck Defect.

    Komorowska-Timek E, Lee GK. Ann Plast Surg. 2012

    ABSTRACT: Restoration of a functional digestive track along with acceptable external neck coverage traditionally requires 2 separate flaps. We present a case of a 65-year-old man with a large cervical and esophageal defect treated successfully with a single anterolateral thigh (ALT) free flap. This patient had been treated with primary chemoradiation for laryngeal cancer, and subsequently, developed a severe esophageal stricture. He had undergone prior multiple attempts at reconstruction with a pectoralis major, radial forearm, and deltopectoral flaps, skin grafts, and gastric pull-up, which had all failed. We used an ALT free flap that was designed in a "tube-in-a-tube" fashion to simultaneously reconstruct the cervical esophagus while resurfacing the anterior neck. The patient successfully restarted a liquid diet on the 19th postoperative day. Tube-in-a-tube ALT flap design is a reliable and efficient way to concurrently restore esophageal continuity and provide anterior neck coverage in a single-stage procedure.

    PubMedID: 23241776

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