Vol.96 No.3 contentsPRACTICA OTO-RHINO-LARYNGOLOGICA
Vol. 96 No. 3 March 2003
The Sternocleidomastoid Muscle-Clavicle Myoosseous
Flap as a Supportive Framework for Tracheal
Reconstruction following Radical Resection
Kazuhide Yoshida, Satoru Kodama, Masashi Suzuki and Goro Mogi
(Oita Medical University)
Although thyroid cancer is generally a relatively low grade malignancy, invasion to the surrounding tracheal, laryngeal or esophageal tissue does occur in patients. We were confronted with a case of thyroid cancer that had invaded the trachea, and radical resection was considered the only curative surgical procedure. Procedures designed for the repair of laryngotracheal defects vary, but they share the common goal of providing a stable airway while preserving normal phonation. We successfully reconstructed the patient's airway after wide resection of the cervical trachea using a sternocleidomastoid muscle-clavicle myoosseous flap as a supportive framework. This procedure may become a useful, safe and reliable method for tracheal reconstruction compared with end-to-end anastomosis following circumferential resection of the trachea.
Key words : thyroid cancer, tracheal invasion, tracheal reconstruction, sternocleidomastoid muscle-clavicle myoosseous flap