Microvascular head and neck reconstruction is a technique for rebuilding the face and neck using blood vessels, bone and tissue, including muscle and skin from other parts of the body. The technique is one of the most advanced surgical options available for rehabilitating surgical defects that are caused by the removal of head and neck tumors.

This technique involves harvesting flaps of healthy tissue — where the tissue is not as important — with the blood supply from remote sites in the body. The tissue is then transferred to the recipient wound bed, where it is much more useful in reconstructing the affected area of the head and neck. A microscope is used to suture the blood vessels of the flap to blood vessels in the neck, allowing the tissue to live as if it were back in its original location.