Radial forearm skin flaps transplanted into the oral cavity in patient
s undergoing treatment for intra-oral tumors frequently acquire a gros
s appearance resembling that of buccal mucosa. This article reports st
udies of biopsies of the flaps in 53 patients, of which 21 showed chan
ges at some stage in the follow-up period. The project aims to determi
ne whether 1) the change in the epithelium to a mucosal form is genuin
e or reactive, 2) a creeping replacement of epidermis results from the
surrounding buccal epithelium, 3) alterations in the epidermis could
be associated with changes in the dermis, 4) the change is caused by r
adiotherapy. Examination of the biopsies by resin histology and transm
ission electron microscopy shows that the changes may be reversible: i
t suggests that they are reactive in nature, and related to the degree
of dermal inflammation, rather than to the effect of radiotherapy. Th
e dermis persists as such and is not replaced by buccal lamina propria
. (C) 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.