Use of an Anastomotic Venous Coupler Device for Radial Forearm Free Flap Reconstruction Following Tongue Cancer Resection: A Case Report
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Abstract
The anastomotic coupler is a microsurgical device for venous anastomosis in free tissue transfer. International literature has confirmed that it shortens anastomosis time, lowers thrombosis rates. We report a 60-year-old Thai woman with squamous cell carcinoma of the left lateral tongue, stage pT3N3bM0 (Stage IVB), who underwent left hemiglossectomy with left modified neck dissection and reconstruction with a radial forearm free flap. The arterial anastomosis was performed using a hand-sewn microsurgical technique, while the single venous anastomosis was performed to the facial vein using an anastomotic coupler device. The flap remained fully viable with no vascular complications throughout follow-up, including through postoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy. This outcome is consistent with the safety profile reported abroad and represents the first documented use of this technology in a head and neck free flap within the Thai Ministry of Public Health system.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
บทความทีตีพิมพ์ในวารสารโรคมะเร็งนี้ถือว่าเป็นลิขสิทธิ์ของมูลนิธิสถาบันมะเร็งแห่งชาติ และผลงานวิชาการหรือวิจัยของคณะผู้เขียน ไม่ใช่ความคิดเห็นของบรรณาธิการหรือผู้จัดทํา
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