Using buccal fat pad to reconstruct mid-face defects

A new study in Facial Plastic Surgery & Aesthetic Medicine demonstrates the use of a buccal fat advancement-transposition (BFAT) flap for the reconstruction of a large midface defect caused by surgical resection of a cutaneous malignancy.

Taha Shipchandler, MD, from Indiana University School of Medicine, and co-authors, performed 20 dissections on 10 human anatomic specimens to examine and demonstrate the access to and utility of the buccal fat in midface reconstruction.

“Our study demonstrates how the BFAT flap can be an important new tool for the facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon in reconstructing facial volume defects,” stated the investigators.

In the related Commentary by Scott Owen, MD, from the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, he states that the article on BFAT “provides a concise anatomic demonstration of buccal fat’s potential to the reconstructive surgeon.” According to Dr. Owen, “A great anatomic study instead arms the readers with a new technique and the inspiration to apply this creatively at their discretion.”