Surgical considerations in maxillofacial prosthetic rehabiliation of the maxillectomy patient

The radical maxillectomy performed for cancer of the paranasal sinuses has as its sequella some of the potentially most devastating functional losses in the field of head and neck oncology. The patient is left after surgical management with a defect that often prevents effective speech, deglutition, and mastication. This paper addresses the surgical considerations involved in the performance of a radical maxillectomy that can result in a favorable defect allowing subsequent optimal prosthetic rehabilitation of the patient.