[Reconstruction of the lower lip by the Karapandzic flap]

ABSTRACT

The main etiology of the defects of the face is the excision of skin tumors. Lip reconstruction or cheiloplasty can use several techniques. Karapandzic flap provides good coverage of these losses of substances with good aesthetic and functional results. A 67 years old patient presents a spinocellular carcinoma of the lower lip measuring 4.5 cm × 4 cm. Resection repects a margin of 1cm. A bilateral rotation flap wich incisions are parallel to the free edges of the lips and equal to the height of the defect was performed. A back cut on the mucosal side allows better advancement of the flaps. They are sutured to each other. The postoperative course is simple. The aesthetic and functional results are very satisfactory with a decline of 6 months. This is an excellent technique because it bends to the principles that are functional, morphological and aesthetic. It respects vessels coronary facial artery, sensory and motor branches of the myocutaneous flap to obtain a buccal sphincter effective immediately. The mouth opening is satisfactory due to the elasticity of the tissue flap. Secondary commissuroplasty is not systematic. Most often, the incision seat in the nasolabial fold and goes higher or lower depending on the size of the defect. The upper limit of the incision is a few millimeters below the nostril. The Karapandzic flap used to the lower lip reconstruction after tumor resection gave good functional, morphological and aesthetic results: