PROMs after 3-stage forehead flap nasal reconstruction

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Patient-reported and clinical outcomes after three-stage forehead flap nasal reconstruction

• IRAS ID

  253720

• Contact name

  Ciaran Healy

• Contact email

  ciaran.healy@gstt.nhs.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Guys and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

• Duration of Study in the UK

  4 years, 11 months, 28 days

• Research summary

  With the rising incidence of skin cancer, plastic and reconstructive surgeons have an increasing number of patients presenting with post-cancer resection facial defects requiring reconstruction.

  The nose is comprised of discrete aesthetic subunits, rendering reconstruction a complex task. There are a variety of methods for reconstruction in this context. Forehead flap skin is a good match for nasal skin; most commonly described in the literature is the two-stage forehead flap reconstruction where the flap is raised and inset in one stage, and the pedicle divided in the second stage. However, the three-stage forehead flap has been developed and is increasingly described in the literature as being a safe, robust method for reconstruction of nasal defects. In an intermediate stage, the pedicle is raised and thinned prior to division in the final stage. The technique has incurred several refinements over time, which have been describ​ed.

  There is increasing awareness of the importance of patient-reported outcomes. To date, there have been no large-scale studies evaluating patient-reported outcomes after nasal reconstruction with a three-stage forehead flap.

  Using a validated questionnaire, the FACE-Q, we propose a study to examine patient-reported outcomes after three-stage forehead flap reconstruction of nasal defects in the setting of skin cancer excision.

  The information yielded by this study will afford clinicians and patients a greater understanding of the post-operative course and may guide further refinement of the technique in this population.

  We will also collect data on complications occurring after surgery, enabling us to compare the complication rates after three-stage reconstruction with reconstructive modalities previously described in the literature, including two-stage forehead flap reconstruction, and associated risk factors for adverse outcomes.

• REC name

  London - Queen Square Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  19/LO/0459

• Date of REC Opinion

  12 Apr 2019

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion