COMPLICATIONS AFTER MICROSURGICAL TISSUE TRANSFER IN THE HEAD AND NECK REGION

In recent Sears, the use of microsurgically re-anastomosed free transp lants has become a proven technique for the reconstruction of defects in the head and neck region, which is demanding from both aesthetic an d functional points of view: A retrospective catamnestic study on 227 free tissue transfers in the Department for Oral and Maxillofacial Sur gery at the University of Tubingen showed good healing with relatively low failure rates of the transplants used. A significant proportion o f local complications, arising postoperatively, was to some degree due to pre-existing medical conditions, tumour-specific pretreatments and the particular wound-healing situation found in head and neck interve ntions. The highest relative rate of complications at the site of orig in was seen amongst osteomuscular transplants (20%) whilst (fascio) cu taneous and visceral transplants were found to result in a low percent age of problems (4%). In contrast, the healing of iliac crest transpla nts was accompanied by various local complications in 12% of the cases , slightly higher than 20% amongst (fascio) cutaneous and abdominal tr ansplants and well above 30% for latissimus-dorsi and scapular transpl ants. General complications, in particular of a respiratory and/or psy chiatric nature, were found in 23% of the patients.