Abstract
However, when the flap is thick with fat tissue, the prosthetic appliance is unstable, resulting in the need for defatting of the flap.
A 73-year-old woman underwent resection of the maxilla and reconstruction using a fibular osteocutaneous flap. Although the flap was successfully transferred, the oral vestibule could not be created due to the bulkiness of the flap. The dental prosthesis was, therefore, unstable, requiring vestibuloplasty, which was performed 11 months after the reconstruction. In the usual setting, the flap is thinned from the lip side. However, the fibula was fixed with plates on the labial side. Thus, the flap was elevated from the posterior side and debulked to avoid exposure of the plates. The oral vestibule was formed sufficiently deep without infection postoperatively.
