The teams of Plastic Surgery and Otorhinolaryngology of the Dénia Hospital have carried out a complex reconstruction surgery of hemilengua that has returned to the patient the ability to swallow and vocalize.
The patient had previously undergone radiotherapy treatments, a consequence that had caused him to lose tissue functionality.
The surgery, carried out by doctors José Mallent, Plastic Surgeon and José Manuel Colio, Head of Otolaryngology of the Department of Health of Dénia, had a duration of 12 hours and in which he used the anterolateral thigh flap.
The intervention consisted of removing and later reconstructing the right half of the tongue, affected by a spinocellular tumor, implanting a flap composed of several tissues (skin, fatty tissue, fascia and muscle) from the anterolateral side of the thigh (called ALT) of the own patient.
During the surgery, the teams had to dissect and reconnect arteries and veins with the objective, not only to reconstruct the affected area, but also to restore functionality to it. This type of flap is especially indicated for the reconstruction of soft tissues of small and medium size in the head and neck, leaving hardly any sequelae in the donor area.
