Free flap survival despite internal jugular vein thrombosis in head and neck reconstruction

Abstract

Microvascular free tissue transfer is one of the most common techniques of reconstruction for complex head and neck surgical defects. Generally, venous thrombosis is more likely to occur than arterial thrombosis in vascular anastomosis. Thus, recipient veins must be chosen carefully. Although the internal jugular vein is preferred as a recipient vein by many microsurgeons, internal jugular vein thrombosis is a potential complication, as shown in our report. Therefore, we consider that the external jugular vein still is an option as a recipient for venous anastomosis and that it is better to perform multiple vein anastomoses with 2 different venous systems, such as the internal and external jugular systems, than anastomoses within the same venous system.