Reconstruction of defects in the lip vermilion with bilateral tongue flaps and review of the literature

Abstract

Bilateral tongue flaps were employed for the reconstruction of large defects in the lip vermilion. A bilateral tongue flap is a useful procedure because, not only can it reconstruct large defects in the lip vermilion with good color and contour, but it can also preserve enough tongue papilla to ensure adequate post-operative taste function. The operation procedure is simple, reliable and of short duration. It provides good aesthetic and functional results with no major complications such as flap necrosis. We employed this technique on 11 patients over a 10-year period and it has proven to be very effective. This article describes two such cases.