Bilateral Karapandzic Flap, a Saviour for Subtotal Lower Lip Reconstruction

AbstractLip plays an essential role in facial esthetic, food intake, and speech. Lip defect due to trauma or surgical excision needs proper reconstruction to preserve their function. Carcinoma lip is one of the common malignant lesions in the head and neck, which needs wide local excision with proper margin with neck clearance. When the size is more than two-thirds, it becomes a challenge to reconstruct and preserve its functionality and aesthetic issues. Bilateral karapandzic flap plays an important role in this case scenario. We have two cases of subtotal lower lip defect following squamous cell carcinoma of the lower lip excision, which was reconstructed with a bilateral karapandzic flap with reasonable functional outcome and cosmesis. Thus, bilateral karapandzic flap can be an alternative option to free flap in resource-constrained scenarios with acceptable functional outcomes.
Source: Indian Journal of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery - Category: ENT & OMF Source Type: research