Griffin MF, Drago J, Almadori A, Kalavrezos N, Butler PE, et al.
Head & neck. Date of publication 2019 Aug 7;volume ():.
1. Head Neck. 2019 Aug 7. doi: 10.1002/hed.25888. [Epub ahead of print]
Evaluation of the efficacy of lipotransfer to manage radiation-induced fibrosis
and volume defects in head and neck oncology.
Griffin MF(1)(2)(3)(4), Drago J(1)(2)(3), Almadori A(2)(3)(4), Kalavrezos N(1),
Butler PE(1)(2)(3)(4).
Author information:
(1)Department of Head & Neck Surgery, University College Hospital, London, UK.
(2)Charles Wolfson Center for Reconstructive Surgery, Royal Free Hospital,
London, UK.
(3)Department of Plastic Surgery, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK.
(4)The Charles Wolfson Center for Reconstructive Surgery, Royal Free London NHS
Foundation Trust Hospital, London, UK.
BACKGROUND: Multimodality treatment for head and neck cancer leads to substantial
functional and esthetic impairment mainly manifested as radiation-induced skin
fibrosis (RIF) in combination with volumetric defects and reduction in neck
mobility. This study assessed the impact of lipotransfer as part of secondary
surgical procedure(s) in patients treated for head and neck malignancies.
METHODS: Retrospective analysis was performed between 2005 and 2016. All patients
with a history of head and neck malignancy, multimodal treatment including at
least surgery or radiotherapy, and at least 2-year disease-free survival were
included. Thirty-eight patients (22 men, 16 women) matched the inclusion
criteria.
RESULTS: Thirty seven (97%) reported esthetic and functional improvements in
their RIF and volumetric defect at follow-up of 32 months. Major improvement in
esthetic and functional outcome was reported by 24 (63%) patients and surgeons
and minor by 13 patients and surgeons (34%) without causing any complications.
Lipotransfer was also found to significantly improve patient's psychological
health postoperatively as showed by significant improvements in Derriford
Appearance Scale (DAS24), Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), and University of
Washington Quality of Life Questionnaire (UW-QOL V4) scores (P < .001).
CONCLUSIONS: Lipotransfer is effective for volume restoration and treating scar
and RIF from head and neck defects.
© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
DOI: 10.1002/hed.25888
PMID: 31389085
