Hemiglossectomy and neck dissection are surgical procedures used to treat advanced cancers of the tongue and neck. A hemiglossectomy involves the removal of part of the tongue. A neck dissection involves the removal of lymph nodes and other tissues from the neck that have been affected by cancer.
During the procedure, a radial free flap is used to reconstruct the tongue. This involves taking a section of skin, fat, and blood vessels from the patient’s forearm and using it to rebuild the tongue. The flap is then connected to the blood vessels in the neck to ensure it receives an adequate amount of blood supply.
This surgery is done under general anaesthesia and usually takes several hours to complete. Recovery can be lengthy, with patients requiring a hospital stay of up to a week and several weeks of rehabilitation and speech therapy to regain normal function of the tongue and speech.
Mr. M. Bhaskar Reddy from Bhodan, Telangana, successfully underwent Hemiglossectomy and Neck Dissection with Radial Free Flap procedure at Yashoda Hospitals, Hyderabad, under the supervision of Dr. Chinnababu Sunkavalli, Clinical Director-Surgical Oncology, Sr. Consultant Surgical Oncology, and Robotic Surgical Oncology.