Research Article
Hypopharyngeal Reconstruction: Possibilities, Outcomes, and
Updates for Improving the Human Health for Quality of Life
Hani Marzouki,
1
Majda A. Addas,
2
Mohammed Nujoom,
1
Faisal Zawawi,
1
Hatim Z. Almarzouki ,
3
and Mazin Merdad
1
1
Department of Otolaryngology, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
2
Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
3
Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
Correspondence should be addressed to Hatim Z. Almarzouki; hzmalmarzouki@kau.edu.sa
Received 7 December 2021; Revised 3 January 2022; Accepted 8 January 2022; Published 8 February 2022
Academic Editor: Vijay Kumar
Copyright © 2022 Hani Marzouki et al. is is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution
License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is
properly cited.
Hypopharyngeal carcinoma is usually present at late stages, necessitating an aggressive line of management consisting of surgical
procedures, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, depending on the case. Practitioners tend to support total laryngectomies or
total esophagostomies for most cases of hypopharyngeal carcinoma. e extensive procedures needed will most probably require,
depending on the residual defect, a follow-up reconstructive procedure that might require utilizing flaps. Types of reconstructive
methods and types of grafts or flaps used could be divided into a multitude of categories depending on the magnitude, shape,
extension, and whether the underlying defect that is being reconstructed is circumferential or not. ese reconstructive pro-
cedures are aimed at improving the quality of life, improving the aesthetic outcome, and restoring the functionality of the
pharyngoesophageal segment. When it comes to hypopharyngeal cancer, the most common kind is squamous cell carcinoma
(SCC), which has the worst prognosis of all the head and neck malignancies. Overall, the 5-year survival rate remains low, despite
recent advancements in diagnostic imaging, radiation, and chemotherapy, as well as enhanced surgical methods and techniques.
Hypopharyngeal malignancies are more probable than other tumors to present with advanced primary illness, with nodal
metastasis a distinct possibility. e size and amount of local dissemination of the original carcinoma, as well as the extent of
involvement of regional lymph nodes, are the most critical factors in predicting prognosis. Hypopharyngeal cancers are more
likely than other head and neck cancers to manifest with distant metastases at the time of diagnosis. e appearance of second
primary tumors, as well as the development of distant metastases, is a contributing factor to poor survival rate. Imaging techniques
such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with contrast remain the gold standard for
evaluating hypopharyngeal carcinoma in the early stages. In most cases, imaging leads to an increase in the tumor stage at the time
of presentation. Objectives. e main objectives are to review the research published about flaps, outline the optimum situations
that will dictate the usage of a few of the most often used flaps for the rebuilding of the hypopharyngeal segment defects, and
outline some of the complications associated with reconstruction. Methods. e processing was carried out with the title-specific
search of the PubMed database using the query terms “hypopharyngeal carcinoma” and “reconstruction” to identify the most
relevant articles without restricting publication dates. Information about the types of defects and methods of reconstruction was
extracted from the reviewed articles. Two books were also reviewed, which were Regional and Free Flaps for Head and Neck
Reconstruction (second edition) and Head and Neck Reconstruction: A Defect-Oriented Approach. Conclusion. Deciding the
appropriate approach to a case should be individualized and should depend on the capabilities of the center, the defect’s size and
status, and lastly, the surgeon’s training. e use of interpretation in the diagnosis of flaps can offer the best results in restoring
functionality and vascularity and might also offer improved cosmesis.
Hindawi
Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience
Volume 2022, Article ID 6132481, 10 pages
https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/6132481