Myofascial flap without skin for intra-oral reconstruction 2: Clinical studies

Background. Based on the results of our animal experiment, we evaluated the clinical usefulness of myofascial graft materials in the reconstruction of intra-oral soft-tissue defects. Methods. An axial-pattern or random-pattern myofascial flap was grafted to reconstruct oral soft-tissue defects caused by tumor resection in ten patients. A pectoralis major myofascial flap was employed in four patients, and a platysma myofascial flap was employed in six patients. Results. All flaps survived, and epithelialization progressed gradually from the surrounding incised mucosal margin. Cicatricial contracture of the wound seemed to be mild and the regenerated mucosa was more flexible than skin. Because the myofascial tissue had only raw surfaces, the handling of the flaps in the oral cavity was very flexible. Moreover, cosmetically unsatisfactory scar formation and dysfunction at the donor site were mild. Conclusion. We feel that the myofascial graft procedure is a very useful option for the reconstruction of intra-oral soft-tissue defects, and will soon become a common procedure. We refer to this procedure as the "biological-guided mucosa regeneration (BGMR)" technique.