Anatomical study of the osteomusculocutaneous flaps based on the lateral circumflex femoral artery

ABSTRACT

This study was carried out on sixteen lower limbs [12 preserved and 4 fresh] from the Anatomy Department, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University. The preserved lower limbs were injected with red latex in the femoral artery to study the branches and the distribution of the lateral circumflex femoral artery. The fresh lower limbs were injected with methylene blue in the lateral circumflex femoral artery to measure the skin surface area supplied by perforators of this artery. The results of this study showed that the ascending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery supplied the tensor fasciae late muscle and the muscle receives an additional arterial supply from the superior gluteal artery. This muscle receives and additional branch from the descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery. The musuclocutaneous perforators of the ascending and the descending branches were found to supply the skin of the anterolateral aspect of the thigh. The terminal branch of the ascending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery were found or supply the ilium bone and gives branches to the outer cortex of the iliac crest. Including the ascending and descending branches of the lateral circumflex femoral artery as the pedicle vessels, cobined anterolateral flap and vascularized iliac bone graft may be easily obtained as an osteocutaneous flap with of without tensor fasciae latae muscle. So, the iliac osteomusulocutaneous flaps based on the lateral circumflex femoral artery seems to overcome the disadvantages of other osteocutaneous flaps and is suitable for reconstruction of a large mandibular defect involving large soft tissue defects