Retropharyngeal Internal Carotid Artery Management inTORSUsing Microvascular Reconstruction

Objectives Guidelines for transoral robotic surgery (TORS) have generally regarded patients with retropharyngeal carotid arteries as contraindicated for surgery due to a theoretical risk of intraoperative vascular injury and/or perioperative cerebrovascular accident. We aimed to demonstrate that careful TORS-assisted resection and free flap coverage could not only avoid intraoperative injury and provide a physical barrier for vessel coverage but also achieve adequate margin control. Study Design:Retrospective cohort analysis. Methods Retrospective review of patients with oropharyngeal malignancies and radiologically confirmed retropharyngeal carotid arteries who underwent TORS, concurrent neck dissection, and free flap reconstruction between 2015 and 2019. Results Twenty patients were included, 19 (95.0%) with tonsillar tumors and one (5.0%) with a tongue base tumor with significant tonsillar extension. Eighteen patients (90.0%) received a radial artery forearm flap, one (5.0%) an ulnar artery forearm flap, and one (5.0%) an anteromedial thigh flap. All 20 (100%) flaps were inset through combined transcervical and transoral approaches without mandibulotomy. There were no perioperative mortalities, carotid injuries, oropharyngeal bleeds, cervical hematomas, or cerebrovascular accidents. One patient (5.0%) had a free flap failure requiring explant. All patients underwent decannulation and resumed a full oral diet. The mean length of hospitalization was 6.8 (standard deviation 1.2) days. One (5.0%) patient had a positive margin. Conclusion In this analysis, 20 patients with oropharyngeal malignancy and retropharyngeal carotid arteries underwent TORS, neck dissection, and microvascular reconstruction without serious complication (perioperative mortality, vascular injury, or neurologic sequalae) with an acceptable negative margin rate. These results may lead to a reconsideration of a commonly held contraindication to TORS. Level of Evidence 3Laryngoscope, 2020

Automated summary

In this study, TORS combined with free flap coverage was shown to be a safe and effective surgical treatment option for patients with oropharyngeal malignancies and retropharyngeal carotid arteries. Adequate margin control was achieved, and there were few postoperative complications.