Background and Objective

The facial artery musculo-mucosal (FAMM) flap, first described by Pribaz et al. in 1992, is an intraoral flap based on the facial artery. It is composed of mucosa, submucosa, buccinator muscle and the facial artery along with its venous plexus. The design of the flap can be inferiorly-based and rely on antegrade blood flow or superiorly-based with retrograde flow. The FAMM flap is a versatile flap that can be used for the reconstruction of defects of multiple locations (palate, lips, tongue, and floor of the mouth).

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the utility of the FAMM flap in the reconstruction of different intraoral defects.

Methods

In this article the authors present 3 cases in which the FAMM flap was used for intraoral reconstruction: one patient with a history of ankyloglossia sequelae of a squamous cell carcinoma of the floor of the mouth; one patient with a palatal fistula sequelae of tumor excision; and one patient with a biphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the mandible.

Results

All flaps survived and provided a stable and reliable coverage of the defect. There were no major complications.

Conclusions

The FAMM flap is a well vascularized flap that replaces like with like tissue. Because of its low morbidity, low rate of complications and reliable results, the FAMM flap is an excellent option for reconstruction of small to moderate intra-oral defects.

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