Abstract: PURPOSE: To compare and analyze the clinical effectiveness of forearm flap and anterolateral thigh flap in reconstruction of oral and maxillofacial defects. METHODS: Fifty-four cases undergoing oral and maxillofacial defect reconstruction with forearm flap and anterolateral thigh flap were reviewed. Thirty-three cases used forearm flap (group A), and 21 cases used anterolateral thigh flap after tumor resection. Operative duration, survival rate of flap, shape changes of recipient site, donor site and patients' satisfaction were analyzed between 2 groups with SPSS 19.0 software package. RESULTS: The operative duration of group A was （41.6±8.9） min, （47.2±10.2） min in group B, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Flap survival rate was 93.9% in group A and 90.5% in group B, the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). Shape changes of recipient site in group A were similar to group B. Donor site recovery was better in group B. The rate of permanent dysfunction in group A was 24.2% and 0 in group B, and the rate of temporal dysfunction was 9.5% in group B. CONCLUSIONS: Forearm flap was as useful as anterolateral thigh flap in reconstruction of postoperative defects of oral and maxillofacial tumors. In clinical practice, advantages and disadvantages should be considered according to individual conditions in selection of free flaps.

Key words: Forearm flap, Anterolateral thigh flap, Oral and maxillofacial defect, Reconstruction