Proper Choice of Donor Site Veins for Patients Undergoing Free Radial Forearm Flap Reconstruction for the Defects of Head and Neck.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the reliability of the deep venous drainage system of the free radial forearm flap.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors implemented a retrospective cohort study and enrolled patients admitted for the evaluation and management of head and neck tumors with radial forearm flap reconstruction. The primary predictor variables were the donor site veins, including the deep, dual, and superficial venous drainage systems. The primary outcome measurement was the incidence of venous compromise. Potential confounders included patient demographics, history of chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy, defect sites, and the recipient artery and vein. The χ2 test and logistic regression analysis were used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS: The final study population consisted of 520 patients (mean age, 54 years) who underwent head and neck soft tissue reconstruction using the free radial forearm flap. Patients with the deep system (odds ratio [OR] = 0.251; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.108-0.581) or dual system (OR = 0.197; 95% CI, 0.064-0.605) had a markedly lower risk of venous compromise than those with the superficial system. The overall incidence of inadequate outflow was 2.5% (5 of 204) when the deep system was used alone and 8.9% (19 of 212) when the superficial system was used alone (P = .004).

CONCLUSIONS: Patients with the deep venous drainage system had a statistically lower risk of venous compromise. This study recommends using the deep system as a drainage vein for the free radial forearm flap.