Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34732036›Full record

ArticleArchives of craniofacial surgery2021

Reconstructive methods to resolve intractable fistulas that develop after radiation therapy in patients with head and neck cancer.

Bu Hyeon Choi, Seong Oh Park, Hee Chang Ahn

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Archives of craniofacial surgery, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 30% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Bu Hyeon ChoiDepartment of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Seong Oh ParkDepartment of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Hee Chang AhnDepartment of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Hanyang University · KR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRadiation therapy (RT) is frequently used for supportive treatment and management of advanced head and neck cancers. This study performed a retrospective review of the treatment methods that were used for intractable draining fistulas in seven patients who had received RT for head and neck cancers. Treatment methods used for two of the seven patients are presented in detail.

methodsFrom 2009 to 2020, seven patients underwent reconstructive surgery for intractable fistulas which occurred after RT for head and neck cancers. Patient characteristics, medical history, treatment method, and treatment outcome were reviewed for each case. The type of surgery performed, failure rate, and treatment period were also analyzed.

resultsIn this study, a total of seven patients received additional management for radiation-induced fistulas. Patients underwent a mean of 3.3± 1.4 surgeries (maximum: six surgeries) to resolve their fistulas. The mean time interval from the first surgery to the last surgery for the patients to achieve resolution of the fistula was 8.7 months. Loco-regional flaps have performed an average of 1.9± 1.5 times. However, all loco-regional flaps failed. Instead, the patients' intractable fistulas were resolved with the use of distant flaps or free tissue transfers.

conclusionFistulas that develop after head and neck cancer treatment following RT are difficult to treat with simple loco-regional flap procedures. Therefore, more aggressive treatment techniques, such as distant flap or free tissue transfer, may be needed to shorten patients' treatment periods and avoid unnecessary surgeries.

Indexed as

FistulaFree tissue flapsHead and neck neoplasmsRadiotherapy

Identifiers

PMID34732036
PMCPMC8568500
OpenAlexW3209806231

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.