Comparative study on sensory recovery after oral cavity reconstruction by free flaps: preliminary results

Anatomical restoration was once the only goal of reconstructive surgery, bu t now it represents only one step in the complete functional recovery proce ss to allow resumption of physiological activity. Soft tissue and nerves pl ay important roles in functional recovery, but the potential of these struc tures is not yet well known. Rehabilitation after oral cavity reconstructio n by free flaps needs an interdisciplinary diagnostic and therapeutic appro ach, in which neurosensory recovery of transferred tissue is an important a spect. Previous studies have used clinical assessment to evaluate sensory recovery after oral reconstruction with free flaps, but these results have been sub jective and not quantifiable. The aim of the present study is to evaluate t he sensory recovery using objective and standardized electrophysiological d ata by recording the masseter inhibitory reflexes (MIR) following mental an d lingual electrical stimulation. A group of 14 patients who underwent oral cavity reconstruction by transpla ntation of either forearm (9) or jejunal (5) noninnervated free flaps were investigated. We found that sensory recovery of fasciocutaneous radial fore arm free flaps was better than that of jejunal free flaps. This could repre sent the starting point for further studies about sensory recovery of recon structed anatomical structures based on standardized and objective electrop hysiological data. (C) 2000 European Association for Cranio-Maxillofacial S urgery.