• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.41-46
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• 2003

Background and Objectives: Surgical ablation of tumors in the oral cavity and the oropharynx results in a three dimensional defect because of the needs to resect the adjacent area for the surgical margin. Although a variety of techniques are available, radial forearm free flap has been known as an effective method for this defect, which offers a thin, pliable, and relatively hairless skin and a long vascular pedicle. We report the clinical results of our 54 consecutive radial forearm free flaps used for oral cavity and oropharynx cancers. Materials and Methods: We reviewed the medical records of patients who were offered intraoral reconstruction with a radial forearm free flap after ablative surgery for oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers from August 1994 to February 2003 and analyzed surgical methods, flap survival rate, complication, and functional results. Among these, 20 cases were examined with modified barium swallow to evaluate postoperative swallowing function and other 8 cases with articulation and resonance test for speech. We examined recovery of sensation with two-point discrimination test in 15 cases who were offered sensate flaps. Results: The primary sites were as follows : mobile tongue (18), tonsil (17), floor of mouth (4), base of tongue (2), soft palate (2), retromolar trigone (3), buccal mucosa (1), oro-hypopharynx (6), and lower lip (1). The paddles of flaps were tailored in multilobed designs from oval shape to tetralobed design and in variable size according to the defects after ablation. This procedures resulted in satisfactory flap success rate (96.3%) and showed good swallowing function and social speech. Eight of 15 cases (53.3%) who had offered sensate flap showed recovery of sensation between 1 and 6 postoperative months (average 2.6 month). Conclusion: The reconstruction with radial forearm free flap might be an excellent method for the maximal functional results after ablative surgery of oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers that results in multidimensional defect.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.276-284
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• 2023

After tooth extraction, alveolar bone is resorbed over time. Loss of alveolar bone and reduction of upper soft tissue poses difficulties in future implant placement and long-term survival of the implant. This case report focuses on increasing the soft and hard tissues at the implant placement site by using alveolar ridge augmentation and a xenogeneic collagen matrix as a soft tissue substitute in an extraction socket affected by periodontal disease. In each case, the width of the alveolar bone increased to 6 mm, 8 mm, and 4 mm, and regeneration of the interdental papilla around the implant was shown, as well as buccal keratinized gingiva of 4 mm, 6 mm, and 4 mm, respectively. Enlarged alveolar bone facilitates implant surgery, and interdental papillae and keratinized gingiva enable aesthetic prosthesis. This study performed alveolar ridge augmentation on patients with extraction sockets affected by periodontal disease and additionally used soft tissue substitutes to provide a better environment for implant placement and have positive effects for aesthetic and predictive implant surgery.

• Korean Journal of Cleft Lip And Palate
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.23-31
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• 2000

Objective: When an alveolar cleft is too large to close with adjacent mucobuccal flaps or large secondary fistula following a primary bilateral palatoplasty exists, a one-stage procedure for bone grafting becomes challenging. In such a case, we used the tongue flap to repair the fistula and cleft alveolus in the first stage, and bone grafting to the cleft defect was performed in the second stage several months later. The purpose of this paper is to report our experiences with the use of an anteriorly-based Y-shaped tongue flap to fit the palatal and labial alveolar defects and the ultimate result of the bone graft. Patients: A series of 14 patients underwent surgery of this type from January 1994 to December 1998.The average age of the patients was 15.8 years old (range: 5 to 28 years old). The mean period of follow-up following the 2nd stage bone raft operation was 45.9 months (range: 9 to 68 months). In nine of the 14 cases, the long-fork type of a Yshaped tongue flap was used for extended coverage of the labial side alveolar defects with the palatal fistula in the remaining cases the short-forked design was used. Results: All cases demonstrated a good clinical result after the initial repair of cleft alveolus and palatal fistula. There was no fistula recurrence, although Partial necrosis of distal margin in long-forked tongue flap was occurred in one case. Furthermore, the bone graft, which was performed an average of 8 months after the tongue flap repair, was always successful. Occasionally, the transferred tongue tissue was bulging and interfering with the hygienic care of nearby teeth; however, these problems were able to be solved with proper contour-pasty performed afterwards. No donor site complications such as sensory disturbance, change in taste, limitations in tongue movement, normal speech impairments or tongue disfigurement were encountered. Conclusion: This two-stage reconstruction of a bilateral cleft alveolus using a Y-shaped tongue flap and iliac bone graft was very successful. It may be indicated for a bilateral cleft alveolus patient where the direct closure of the cleft defect with adjacent tissue or the buccal flap is not easy due to scarred fibrotic mucosa and/or accompanied residual palatal fistula.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.267-275
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• 1993

Eighty five patients of oral cavity cancer, treated with radiation at the Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Korea Cancer Center Hospital, during the period from March 1985 to September 1990 were analyzed retrospectively. Among 85 patients, 37 patients were treated with radiation only and 48 patients were treated with radiation following surgery. And 70 patients received external irradiation only by $^{60}Co$ with or without electron, the others were 7 patients for external irradiation plus interstitial implantation and 8 patients for external irradiation plus oral cone electron therapy. Primary sites were mobile tongue for 40 patients, mouth floor for 17 patients, palate for 12 patients, gingiva including retromolar trigone for 10 patients, buccal mucosa for 5 patients, and lip for 1 patient. According to pathologic classification, squamous cell carcinoma was the most common (77 patients). According to AJC TNM stage, stage I + II were 28 patients and stage III+IV were 57 patients. Acturial overall survival rate at 3 years was $43.9\%,$ 3 year survival rates were $60.9\%$ for stage I + II, and $23.1\%$ for stage III+IV, respectively. As a prognostic factor, primary T stage was a significant factor (p<0.01). The others, age, location, lymph node metastasis, surgery, radiation dose, and cell differentiation were not statistically significant. Among those factors, radiation plus surgery was more effective than radiation only in T3+T4 or in any N stage although it was not statistically sufficient (p<0.1). From those results, it was conclusive that definitive radiotherapy was more effective than surgery especially In the view of pertainig of anatomical integrity and function in early stage, and radiation plus surgery was considered to be better therapeutic tool in advanced stage.