Reconstructive surgery in the treatment of hypopharyngeal cancer.

We report our experiences with 283 reconstructions of pharyngoesophageal defects after adequate extirpation of hypopharyngeal cancer that have been accomplished in the past 17 years through 1970 to 1986 using various kinds of pedicled flaps such as Bakamjian's DP skin flap, slit technique of DP skin flap, pectoralis major and latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flaps, skin-grafted pectoralis major muscle flap and gastric or colic pull-ups. We conclude that each flap has its own merits and demerits and any one of these flaps cannot totally replace the others and that we must be familiar with characteristics of these flap techniques including free flap transfer to be able to indicate the best selection of reconstructive technique for every patient with different situations and, then, to obtain optimal result.