09h10 The use of three iliac crest muscles for head and neck soft tissue reconstruction

Keywords: muscular, free flap, iliac, reconstruction.

Objectives: We describe an innovative approach to reconstruct soft tissue in the head and neck region by diverting a flap originally intended for hard tissue reconstruction. To our knowledge, the oblique and transversus muscle free flap has never been described in the literature.

Material and Methods: We present four cases of patients with large tumor of the tongue, where the use of a radial free flap was challenging. Instead, we used the muscular portion of the iliac crest as a reliable alternative for reconstruction, offering a suitable oral lining. Using a muscular free flap, we achieved effective tongue reconstruction while minimizing donor site morbidity.

Results: We describe the use of a muscular free flap using the three iliac crest muscles (external, internal abdominal oblique, transversus abdominis muscles) and the deep circumflex iliac artery for the reconstruction of large defects in the oral cavity and facial region.

Conclusion: We describe a novel approach to reconstructing soft tissue in the head and neck region by diverting a flap originally intended for hard tissue reconstruction. The deep circumflex iliac artery muscular free flap demonstrates promising outcomes for large defects in the oral cavity and facial regions with low donor site morbidity. However, a comprehensive case series with functional assessments and long-term follow-up is necessary to evaluate potential complications, such as hernia formation.ent.