Free-Flap Reconstruction of the Tongue.
The tongue is paramount to natural speech and swallowing, and good tongue function is important in the overall quality of life. Autologous free-flap reconstruction of the tongue after glossectomy allows for adequate speech, swallow, and quality-of-life outcomes in a majority of patients. Herein, the authors review autologous free-flap reconstruction of the tongue with a focus on different flap options, speech and swallow outcomes, quality-of-life outcomes, and factors that affect how patients perform after tongue reconstruction.
['Vincent|Aurora|A|', 'Kohlert|Scott|S|', 'Lee|Thomas S|TS|', 'Inman|Jared|J|', 'Ducic|Yadranko|Y|']
tongue reconstruction free tissue transfer head and neck cancer