Buccinator musculomucosal flap: applications in intraoral reconstruction.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the use of the buccinator musculomucosal flap in the reconstruction of defects of the oral cavity and oropharynx. DESIGN Prospective case series of 8 patients during a 1-year period with an average follow-up of 1 year. Six anatomical dissections were performed on 3 fresh cadaver heads to investigate the neurovascular supply to the flap. SETTING Academic tertiary referral medical center. RESULTS The buccinator musculomucosal flap was used in the reconstruction of 8 defects of the oral cavity, retromolar trigone, and soft palate. There was 1 partial flap necrosis that occurred in a patient who had previously received radiation therapy and who healed secondarily without sequelae. No patient experienced difficulties with mastication or oral competence. All patients reported light single-point touch sensation over the flap 2 weeks after surgery. Cadaveric dissections using latex or india ink injections demonstrated the posterior neurovascular supply from the buccal artery, a branch of the internal maxillary artery, and the buccal nerve, a branch of the mandibular nerve. CONCLUSIONS The buccinator musculomucosal flap is a dependable local sensate flap with a well-defined neurovascular pedicle that can be used in a variety of intraoral reconstructions obviating the need for distal tissue harvest.