Title

Comparative outcomes of central versus lateral lip-split access in head and neck reconstructive surgery following tumor resection

Authors

Gunjan Virendra Manchanda^1,*, Dhrubajyoti Deka², Praveen Kumar³, Sunil Kumar Gulia⁴, Ritoban Saha Bhowmick⁵, K. Tejaswini⁶ & Rahul Tiwari⁷

Affiliation

¹Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Government Medical College and Maharashtra Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (MUHS), Nashik, Maharashtra, India; ²Department of Plastic Surgery, Assam Medical College and Hospital, Dibrugarh, Assam, India; ³Department of oral and maxillofacial surgery, Vanachal dental college and hospital, Jharkhand, India; ⁴Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, SGT University, Gurugram, Badli, Jhajjar, Haryana, India; ⁵Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Manipal Hospitals, Dhakuria, Kolkata, West Bengal, India; ⁶Consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, Bellary, KarnatakaIndia; ⁷Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, RKDF Dental College and Research Centre, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan University, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India; *Corresponding author

Email

Gunjan Virendra Machida - E-mail: manchanda.gunjan00nasik@gmail.com

 Dhrubajyoti Deka - E-mail: dhruvadeka@gmail.com

Praveen Kumar - E-mail: praveenkumar9319@gmail.com

 Sunil Kumar Gulia - E-mail: djgulia10@gmail.com

 Ritoban Saha Bhowmick - E-mail: rsahabhowmick91@gmail.com

 K. Tejaswini - E-mail: tejaswini974.tk@gmail.com

Rahul Tiwari - E-mail: drrahulvctiwari@gmail.com

Article Type

Research Article

Date

Received March 1, 2026; Revised March 31, 2026; Accepted March 31, 2026, Published March 31, 2026

Abstract

Optimal incision design for lip-split mandibulotomy in advanced head and neck tumor resection remains controversial, as postoperative functional impairment and aesthetic morbidity continue to affect long-term quality-of-life despite adequate oncologic clearance. Therefore, it is of interest to compare lateral and central access via the lips of patients undergoing multi-tumoral resection as well as microvascular reconstruct. The lateral lip-split approach showed less injuries and better postoperative oral performance, whereas central lip-split access was slightly shorter exposure times to the operation. Both options are safe but lateral lip-split access has superior aesthetic and functional results. The choice of an incision's design must consider oncologic access as well as the long-term quality of life outcomes.

Keywords

Mandibulotomy, lip-split, head and neck reconstruct, micro vascular, free flap

Citation

Manchanda et al. Bioinformation 22(3): 1346-1349 (2026)

Edited by

Vini Mehta

ISSN

0973-2063

Publisher

Biomedical Informatics

License

This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.