Use of the Superthin Superficial Circumflex Iliac Artery Perforator Flap for Reconstruction of Lower Lip Defects

Summary: Wide local excision remains the main treatment modality for primary lip cancer, which often results in considerable deficits of lip tissue and requires reconstruction using free tissue transfer. Although diverse free flaps, such as radial forearm flap or anterolateral thigh flap, have been used, their application is often limited by their inherent limitations, including donor-site morbidity and flap bulkiness. This report details the authors’ experience of lower lip reconstruction using a superthin superficial circumflex iliac artery perforator (SCIP) free flap. Two patients with primary squamous cell carcinoma spanning their lower lip underwent wide local excision with an 8-mm lateral excision margin and superficial layer of orbicularis oris muscle. To cover the shallow but extensive lower lip defects, a superthin SCIP flap elevating along the intraadipose tissue layer and a pure-skin perforator SCIP flap elevating along the subdermal layer were harvested. The thickness of the harvested SCIP flap was 3 mm in both cases. The microvascular anastomoses of pedicles were conducted using the inferior labial artery and adjacent subcutaneous vein as recipient vessels, and the flaps were inset. The flaps survived completely without any perfusion-related complications. The patients were discharged uneventfully. Postoperatively, both patients displayed complete functional recovery with good lip competence and aesthetically pleasing results, without requiring secondary debulking operations. The authors’ results suggest that the superthin or pure-skin perforator SCIP flap might be considered as an effective method for covering shallow and wide lower lip defect.