Abstract: Objective: To analyze the clinical application of thoracodorsal artery perforator flaps in the reatoration of recurrent oral cancer defects. Methods: Clinical data of 7 patients with recurrent oral cancer in Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University and Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from January 2018 to June 2020, who were treated by thoracodorsal artery perforator flaps were analyzed retrospectively. The lateral perforator branch of dorsal thoracic artery was used as the vessel pedicle in 6 cases, and the perforator branch of serratus anterior of dorsal thoracic artery was used as the vessel pedicle in 1 cases. The flap was removed without latissimus dorsi muscle and thoracic dorsal nerve, and the area of the flap was 6 cm×12 cm to 8 cm×15 cm. There were 2 cases of recurrence of tongue cancer after TDAP repair, 2 cases of recurrence of tongue cancer, 1 case of recurrence of bucolic cancer, 1 case of recurrence of mandibular gingival cancer, and 1 case of recurrence of oral floor cancer respectively. All patients had no distant metastasis of lung or liver. Results: All 7 flaps survived, and the survival rate of flaps was 100%. Both the recipient and donor areas healed in the first stage. After 3-10 months of follow-up, the skin flap was of good texture, not bloated, no need for secondary plastic surgery, and the donor area of the skin flap and shoulder joint function were good. Conclusion: TDAP is indeed suitable for reconstruction of recurrent oral cancer defects. Due to the ductile texture of TDAP, long vascular pedicle, large tissue volume, hidden scar at the donor site, and small functional loss at the donor site, it is very conducive to the recovery of the morphology and function of recurrent oral cancer defects.

Key words: TDAP, recurrent oral cancer defects, reconstruction