Measurement of preoperative repair area of thyroid gland flap in patients with neck cancer by three-dimensional imaging

BACKGROUND: We aimed to explore a method to measure the preoperative repair area of the thyroid gland flap (TGF) in patients with neck cancer. METHODS: A total of 82 patients with nonthyroid diseases were included in this study. The digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM) data of enhanced computed tomography (CT) of the neck were collected. Three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction was performed using Mimics software, and data on the thyroid gland was collected. The projected area of the unilateral glandular lobe was measured. The demographic data of the patients, such as sex, age, height, and body mass index, were collected. The influencing factors for the repair area of TGF were analyzed. RESULTS: As a pedicled flap, the left thyroid lobe could provide a repair area of 7.27 ± 2.00 cm 2 , and the right thyroid lobe could provide 8.09 ± 2.06 cm 2 . A statistically positive correlation was found between the aforementioned area and patients' height ( P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The preoperative repair area of TGF could be measured using enhanced CT and 3D reconstruction for patients with neck tumors. 3D reconstruction can be used to perform preoperative evaluation of TGF application.