유리피판의 재건 실패 환자에서 보존적 치료로 치유한 2증례

Since the introduction of microvascular surgery, free flap reconstruction has become an integral part of the management of head and neck cancer. Although microvascular skills and instruments have improved, failure of free flap reconstruction is inevitable and frequently leads to devastating results. Most of failed cases are caused by vascular thrombosis that is usually treated by either medical therapy or salvage reconstruction. When patient cannot run the risk of additional surgery, salvage reconstruction is not feasible. Conservative treatment after failure of free flap reconstruction would be another option in carefully selected cases. Conservative care contains medical management, watchful observation for fistula formation and frequent dressing. We reports two cases of patients who were treated with conservative management after failure of free flap reconstruction and reviewed literatures. (J Clinical Otolaryngol 2010;21:283-287)