Clinical application of polyglycolic acid sheet after resection of tongue squamous cell carcinoma

ObjectiveA polyglycolic acid (PGA) sheet has recently been introduced for wound repair in pulmonary surgery and neurosurgery. In this study, we applied a PGA sheet to an open wound following resection of a squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in the tongue and achieved good healing. We compared the effectiveness of this PGA sheet with that of an artificial dermis (AD) for open wound repair following the SCC resection.Patients and methodsWe evaluated consecutively diagnosed patients who visited the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic of our Hospital from January 2007 to March 2011. The patients were divided into two groups, one group using a PGA sheet (PGA group) and one group using an AD (AD group). Operative time, postoperative pain, days of hospitalization, and the presence or absence of postoperative bleeding were compared between the two groups.ResultsThe PGA group showed significantly shorter operative time and significantly less pain than the AD group. Days of hospitalization and postoperative bleeding were not significantly different between the two groups.ConclusionA PGA sheet was found to achieve good wound healing after resection of tongue SCC, and was useful for maintaining the quality of life of patients.