What Researchers Did
Researchers investigated the effectiveness of radical resection and immediate microvascular-free fibular composite flap reconstruction in five patients with extensive osteoradionecrosis of the mandible between 1999 and 2002.
What They Found
All five patients initially achieved successful vascularized reconstruction by clinical examination with minimal postoperative morbidity. However, one patient experienced complete flap loss at 20 days due to an orocutaneous fistula and infection, meaning four out of five patients had a successful outcome.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
This study suggests that radical resection followed by microvascular composite flap reconstruction may be a viable option for Canadian patients with extensive osteoradionecrosis of the mandible that has not responded to conservative treatments. This approach could offer a more definitive solution for a severe complication of head and neck cancer radiotherapy.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection as it was conducted outside of Canada.
Study Limitations
The primary limitation of this study is its very small sample size of only five patients, which limits the generalizability of the findings.