Is the oblique branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery a common variant?
J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg
; 84: 540-546, 2023 09.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37421678
The oblique branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery, a short branch of the deep femoral artery, is highly prevalent (32-46%) and is usually considered a normal variant, although this is still controversial. This study aimed to evaluate whether the oblique branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery is a variant. We reviewed medical record data of patients with skin and soft tissue defects of the extremities who underwent flap repair using free anterolateral thigh (ALT) flaps at our hospital in 2019. The anatomical characteristics of the flaps were examined intraoperatively by high-frequency color Doppler ultrasound. A total of 153 ALT flaps from 146 patients were included. Among the branches, 232 (73.7%) were oblique branches, and 83 (26.4%) were descending branches. Of the 232 oblique branches, 141 (60.8%) were from septocutaneous branches, and the other 83 (39.2%) were from musculocutaneous branches. In addition, 20 (24.1%) descending branches were from septocutaneous branches, and the other 63 (75.9%) were from musculocutaneous branches. Analyzing the prevalence of the oblique branch in septocutaneous branches, more than half of the patients had oblique branches rather than descending branches. The high proportion of oblique branches from septocutaneous branches (median: 100 (0-100) vs. 0 (0-50), p = 0.002) supports the understanding that the oblique branch is a normal anatomical element rather than a variant. The main type was the intramuscular branches, which required significantly less time for flap harvesting. The oblique branch may be the preferred vascular pedicle for free ALT flaps.
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Texto completo:
1
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Traumatismos de los Tejidos Blandos
/
Colgajos Tisulares Libres
Tipo de estudio:
Risk_factors_studies
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg
Año:
2023
Tipo del documento:
Article