Objective:To evaluate the clinical application of submental artery island flap in reconstruction of hypopharynx following hypopharyngectomy. Methods:Five patients with pyriform sinus squamous cell carcinoma were enrolled. All of patients were male,ages ranged from 49 years to 70 years with a mean age of 61.2 years. Among them,4 patients underwent selective neck dissection along with the radical excision of the primary lesion,and the laryngeal function was partly reserved. The submental artery island flaps were then used for reconstruction of hypopharyngeal defects in these 4 patients. Another patient was anastomosis orifice stricture of postoperative pyriform sinus carcinoma,and the reconstruction using submental artery island flap was performed following fissure of the stricture. The size of the skin paddle ranged from 7 cm × 3 cm to 8 cm × 5 cm. Results:The surgical procedures were successful,and the submental artery island flaps were survived in all cases. Donor site incision healed by first intention. Trachea cannula and gastric tube were pulled-out 7~36 days after operation. The follow-up period ranged from 10 to 28 months. The statuses of the flaps were good with satisfactory speech and swallowing function in all the patients. Neck scar contracture was well hidden. Conclusion:The submental artery island flap is useful in hypopharyngeal reconstruction after resection of hypopharyngeal carcinoma,because of its abundant blood supply,convenient donor site,and high survival rate.