Prefabricated fibula free flap with dental implants for mandibular reconstruction

Publication date: Available online 2 March 2018
Source:European Annals of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Diseases
Author(s): D. Pauchet, J.-L. Pigot, F. Chabolle, C.-A. Bach
Free fibula transplant is routinely used for mandibular reconstruction in head and neck cancer. Dental rehabilitation, the objective of mandibular reconstruction, requires the use of dental implants as supports for fixed or removable dentures. Positioning of fibular bone grafts and implants determines implant osseointegration and the possibilities of dental rehabilitation.Prefabrication of a fibula free flap with dental implants prior to harvesting as a free flap can promote implant osseointegration. The position of the implants must then be precisely planned.Virtual surgery and computer-assisted design and prefabrication techniques are used to plan the reconstruction and then reproduce this planning by means of tailored fibula and mandible cutting guides, thereby ensuring correct positioning of fibular bone fragments and implants.The prefabricated fibula free flap technique requires two surgical procedures (prefabrication and flap transfer) and precise preoperative planning.Prefabricated fibula free flap with dental implants, by improving the quality of osseointegration of the implants before flap transfer, extends the possibilities of prosthetic rehabilitation in complex secondary mandibular reconstructions.



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