Anatomy of the superficial epigastric artery perforator flap in rats / 解剖学报

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the anatomy of the superficial epigastric artery perforator flap , and to provide anatomical basis for harvesting flap .Methods Of 27 SD rats, 7 were used for gross anatomy observation and anatomic characteristics and 20 rats for lead oxide-gelatin injection followed by computer picture processing , measurements and the related parameters recording .Results The superficial epigastric artery originated from femoral artery , and gave off its first branch when passed through the superficial fascia .The trunk branched into a lateral perforator and a medial perforator , which anastomosed with thoracodorsal artery and lateral thoracic artery , respectively .The average external diameter of superficial epigastric artery was (0.46 ±0.02)mm at its starting point,and(0.46 ±0.02)mm at the superficial fascia level . The nutritive area of superficial epigastric artery was (18.37 ±3.67) cm2 .The anastomosed area with thoracodorsal artery and lateral thoracic artery was(5.34 ±0.86)cm and(6.28 ±0.29)cm, respectively, away from the horizontal line through axillary,and (4.38 ±0.38)cm and(2.04 ±0.33)cm, respectively, away from the ventral median line.Conclusion The position and external diameter of superficial epigastric artery are constant , and the superficial epigastric artery perforator flap is a ideal flap model for research on free flap transplantation , flap supercharging , and hemodynamics .