Clinical application of thin anterolateral thigh flap in the reconstruction of intraoral defects.

The purpose of this study was to assess the clinical features and therapeutic efficacy of intraoral defect reconstruction with thin anterolateral thigh flaps.A total of 34 patients underwent simultaneous tumor resection and intraoral defect reconstruction with free thin anterolateral thigh flaps.There were 16 male and 18 female patients; the ratio of males to females was 0.9:1; the mean age was 55.4 years. In these 34 patients, 26 flaps were musculocutaneous perforators (76.5%) and 8 flaps were septocutaneous perforators (23.5%). Partial loss of flap occurred in 2 patients (5.9%).The free thin anterolateral thigh flap was the ideal soft tissue flap in intraoral defect reconstruction. This thin flap presents good functional results at the receiving site with the additional advantages of minimal donor-site morbidity and a high level of patient satisfaction.