Open AccessA Cadaveric Study of the Buccal Fat Pad: Implications for Closure of Palatal Fistulae and Donor-Site Morbidity
Author(s) -
Kezia Echlin,
Harry Whitehouse,
Michael Schwaiger,
Rebecca Nicholas,
Nefer Fallico,
Duncan Atherton
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
plastic and reconstructive surgery/psef cd journals
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.841
H-Index - 179
eISSN - 1076-5751
pISSN - 0032-1052
DOI - 10.1097/prs.0000000000007351
Subject(s) - buccal fat pad , medicine , cadaveric spasm , buccal administration , soft palate , hard palate , dentistry , soft tissue , surgery , anatomy
For the cleft surgeon, palatal fistulae after cleft palate repair remain a difficult problem, with a paucity of local tissue options to aid closure. Small clinical series have described the use of the buccal fat pad flap to repair palatal fistulae; however, there is no literature detailing the anatomical coverage of the flap. This study delineates the anatomy of the buccal fat pad flap to guide surgeons in patient selection and examines the residual buccal fat after flap harvest to provide new information with regard to possible effects on the donor site.