Supraclavicular Artery Island Flap



Supraclavicular Artery Island Flap


MICHAEL W. CHU

ERNEST S. CHIU





INTRODUCTION

The supraclavicular flap is based on the supraclavicular artery, which is a branch from the transverse cervical artery that originates from the thyrocervical trunk. Kazanjian and Converse (1) first described the supraclavicular flap in 1949 and referred it as the acromial flap. In 1983, Lamberty (2) named it the supraclavicular artery flap and the flap was widely published until it fell out of favor when it was criticized by Blevins and Luce (3) for a high incidence of distal flap necrosis.

Recent trends in reconstructive surgery to minimize donor site morbidity and the advent of perforator flaps have popularized the supraclavicular artery island flap (SCAIF) again. Previous concerns of distal tip ischemia have been addressed with modifications in operative technique, cadaveric perfusion studies (4), and radiographic imaging (5).




ANATOMY

The supraclavicular artery is a branch of the transverse cervical artery that originates from the thyrocervical trunk. It can be reliably found in the supraclavicular triangle between the sternocleidomastoid, clavicles, and trapezius (Fig. 220.1). On rare occasion, it can originate from the subclavian, internal mammary, or the suprascapular artery (16, 17).

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Jun 26, 2016 | Posted by in General Surgery | Comments Off on Supraclavicular Artery Island Flap

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