Reconstruction of hypopharyngeal defects with submental flap after laryngopharyngectomy

The submental flap has rekindled interest in using cervical flaps for reconstruction of head and neck defects. In this article, the authors present their experience of using this flap for hypopharyngeal defects after laryngopharyngectomy. This is a retrospective study of six patients who underwent hypopharyngeal defect reconstruction with submental flap from 2008 to 2011, operated upon by a single surgeon (JC Lee). The flap was used primarily to reconstruct defects after tumor extirpation. The maximum flap size was 12 × 7 cm and the minimum size was 9 × 4 cm (average, 10.5  × 5.3 cm). No flap failures were observed. All the donor site defects were closed primarily. Two patients developed a small pharyngocutaneous fistula that resolved spontaneously. No other complications were observed. After speech reeducation, all achieved a good-quality, understandable artificial voice. All patients were able to eat by mouth without the need for tube feeding. The submental flap is an excellent alternative in the reconstruction of hypopharyngeal defects because of its reliability, versatility, pliability, and relative ease of application. Our initial reports confirm that this kind of reconstruction is feasible and time-saving, and restored a good quality of life.