Tripaddled anterolateral thigh flap for simultaneous reconstruction of bilateral buccal defects after buccal cancer ablation and severe oral submucous fibrosis release: A case report.

[oral submucous fibrosis]

For buccal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC ) patients accompanied with severe oral submucous fibrosis (OSF ), it is a challenge to simultaneously reconstruct bilateral buccal defects created from cancer resection and contralateral OSF release to improve postoperative mouth opening . Herein , we present a case of reconstruction of bilateral buccal defects in a 46 -year -old patient who had left buccal SCC accompanied with severe OSF . Extensive ablation involved the left full-thickness cheek as well as part of mandible and a release of right OSF tissue were performed . A tripaddled anterolateral thigh (ALT ) flap with three independent sets of perforators was harvested for reconstruction . The flap survived in its entirety . No donor or recipient site complication occurred . The preoperative inter-incisor distance (IID ) was 1 mm , while the postoperative IID was 23 mm . This is the first report on the use of one tripaddled ALT flap for reconstruction of bilateral buccal defects created from cancer ablation and severe contralateral OSF release . © 2013 Wiley Periodicals , Inc . Microsurgery , 2013 .