Abstract: PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical effect and summarize the experience of vein anastomosis by microvascular anastomotic device in reconstruction of oral and maxillofacial defects. METHODS: From September 2014 to May 2015, twenty-one free flaps were used to repair oral and maxillofacial defects. During surgery, facial artery or supra thyroid artery were selected as feeding arteries, and external jugular vein or the branch of jugular vein was used as the recipient vein. Eighteen arteries of the free flap were anastomosed by hand, 3 arteries and 21 veins were anastomosed by microvascular anastomotic device. The time of anastomosis and patency of vessels were recorded. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS l7.0 software package. RESULTS: There was no flap necrosis due to venous thrombosis in this series.The facial artery was used as feeding artery 16 times, supra thyroid artery was used 5 times. The external jugular vein was used as reflux vein 13 times, the branch of jugular vein was used 8 times. The duration of artery anastomosis were 17.20±2.31 minutes by hand and 5.48±1.33 minutes by microvascular anastomotic device. The duration of vein anastomosis were 18.39±3.48 minutes by hand and 6.45±0.60 minutes by microvascular anastomotic device. CONCLUSIONS: Application of microvascular anastomotic device can significantly improve the anastomotic speed and vein flow rate. The preliminary results show that blood vessel anastomosis by device is effective and safe.

Key words: Free flap, Reconstruction of oral and maxillofacial defect, Microvascular anastomotic device, Microsurgery