Anterolateral thigh skinfold thickness and the European head and neck cancer patient: A prospective study

Abstract 

The purpose of this study was to objectively assess this widely recognised problem of the bulky adipocutaneous Anterolateral thigh flap in the European population that may have implications in the reconstruction of head and neck cancer patients. We report 50 cases that underwent specific prospective thigh skinfold thickness assessment as part of assessment of suitability for ALT flap reconstruction following cancer ablation. The null hypothesis was that thigh skinfold thickness and circumference in an oral cancer population do not differ significantly from published sino-Asian norms. This study confirms anthropometrically the suspicion that European thigh skinfold thickness in a head and neck cancer population is greater than sino-Asian comparators.

Keywords: Reconstruction of head and neck cancer, ALT flap, free Flap