Fulltext

The median forehead flap reviewed: a histologic study on vascular anatomy

Skaria, A.

In: European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, 2015, vol. 272, no. 5, p. 1231-1237

Add to personal list
    Title
    • The median forehead flap reviewed: a histologic study on vascular anatomy
    Author
    • Skaria, A.. Centre de Dermatochirurgie Vevey, Vevey, Switzerland
    Document Type
    • Postprint
    Language
    • English
    Published in
    • European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, 2015, vol. 272, no. 5, p. 1231-1237. Springer Berlin Heidelberg
    Other Version
    OAI-PMH Identifier
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:331494
    Summary
    Local skin flaps can be divided into two types: random flaps and axial flaps. An axial flap is defined as a flap containing a named artery in its pedicle. For the paramedian forehead flap (PMFF) a lot of surgeons insist on the point that the pedicle must contain the supratrochlear artery. To demonstrate that median forehead flaps (MFF) need not contain a named artery, we selected first 8 patients with a PMFF and further 12 patients who had undergone reconstructive surgery using a MFF. After division, we analysed the pedicle of the flap histologically and measured the diameter of the arteries or arterioles and compared them to anatomical descriptions of the frontal arteries. In none of the 12 cases could we find a functional artery of approximately 1mm in diameter that could correspond to the supratrochlear artery. The MFF is an axial flap but not in accordance with the current definition of this term. In contrast to published literature, we show that only in a part of cases a named artery was present in the pedicle. Despite this fact, the MFF is a secure flap for full thickness defect repair on the nose.