Single-staged buccal reconstruction with facial artery-based bilateral nasolabial flaps for the management of severe trismus in oral submucous fibrosis

Background: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is a chronic disease of insidious onset predominant in the Asian subcontinent. It is a progressive condition resulting in forced closure of mouth and inability to take solid oral feeds. Having a multifactorial etiology, it is a well-known premalignant condition. Measures such as forcing the mouth open and releasing the fibrotic bands have resulted in aggravated fibrosis and disability. Aim: The aim was to evaluate the outcomes of bilateral inferiorly based nasolabial flaps in the management of severe trismus in patients with submucous fibrosis. Materials and Methods: The study included patients with progressive trismus presenting to the department of plastic surgery who underwent release and cover with nasolabial flap during the period from August 2014 to July 2018 (4 years). A total of eight patients were studied for their offending agents, the progression of the disease, the preoperative and postflap transfer, and inter-incisal distance, and this was followed up for a period of 1 year. Patients were studied for their improvement in mouth opening, flap status, and donor-site scar acceptability. Results: A total of eight patients of submucous fibrosis with severe trismus were treated with nasolabial flaps and followed for an average of 1 year from 2014 to 2018. The mean preoperative inter-incisal opening of 2 mm was treated by the bilateral release of mucosal fibrous bands and covered with tunneled facial artery-based nasolabial flaps. All patients received postoperative mouth-opening physiotherapy. Their inter-incisal opening improved from a mean of 2 mm to a mean of 30.8 mm. Conclusion: Bilateral pedicled nasolabial flaps can be successfully used for long-term relief of severe trismus in OSMF. Our study showed easy elevation of bilateral flaps, adequate postoperative mouth opening, with no recurrence of disease, and no flap contracture. This small-sized flap gives good coverage of the buccal mucosa without flap redundancy and cosmetically acceptable donor site.