Anatomic research on distally based compound flap pedicled with the nutrient vessels of cephalic vein

Fahui ZHANG; Songqing LIN; Heping ZHENG; Guodong ZHANG

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:

Distally based flap pedicled with the distal nutritional vessels in forearm is especially suitable for reconstructing the tissue defects in the distal end of hands, while high rotation point cannot satisfy the requirements of reconstructing the distal injuries or defects in hands, and severer lesion may even be caused in the donor site.

OBJECTIVE:

To study the anatomic proceeding of artery perforators in distal radial margin of forearms, so as to provide anatomic basis for the design of distally based compound flap pedicled with the nutrient vessel of cephalic vein in distal radial margin of forearms.

DESIGN:

Single sample experiment.

SETTING:

Center for Clinical Anatomy of the Department of Orthopedics,Fuzhou General Hospital of Chinese PLA of Nanjing Military Area Command.MATERIALS The experiment was conducted in the Laboratory of Center for Clinical Anatomy of Department of Orthopedics, Fuzhou General Hospital of Chinese PLA of Nanjing Military Area Command between August and December 2004. The upper extremities of 30 cadavers injected with a mixture of red gelatin into the artery (provided by the Center for Clinical Anatomy of Department of Orthopedics, Fuzhou General Hospital of Chinese PLA of Nanjing Military Area Command) were adopted.

METHODS:

The vascular external diameter and distance were measured with sliding caliper and ruler with radial styloid process as the marker.MAIN OUTCOME

MEASURES:

① The perforator artery in distal radial margin of forearms. ② The nutrient vessels of cephalic vein. ③ The relationship of blood supply between the nutrient vessels and vicinal bone and skin as well as the lateral antebrachial cutaneous nerve. ④ The superficial and deep communicating branches of cephalic vein.

RESULTS:

The perforator artery in distal radial margin of forearms derived from 6-11 cutaneous branches of radial artery with external diameter of (0.7±0.3) mm; 2-6 cutaneous branches of superficial palma with the external diameter of (0.5±0.3) mm; 1-2 recurrent cutaneous branches of the styloid process of radius with the external diameter of (0.5±0.1) mm; 1-2 cutaneous branches of snuff tobacco with the external diameter of (0.6±0.2) mm. At 8.0-15.0 cm above radius styloid process there were 1-3 intermuscular cutaneous branches of radial artery with an initial external diameter of (1.1±0.2) mm, distributing in the exposureregion and corresponding skin of middle and inferior segments in radius. The above-mentioned perforator arteries all developed into cutaneous branch, fascia branch, periosteum branch, cephalic vein and nutrient vessel branch of distal cutaneous nerve,and constituted the vascular chain, the by-pass of cephalic vein, vascular chain of cutaneous nerve stem as well as superficial, deep fascias and periosteal vascular net.

CONCLUSION:

The perforator artery in distal radial margin of forearms is the source of nutrient vessels in cephalic vein, while the nutrient vessels share an isogeny with the nutrient vessels derived from vicinal bone, skin and lateral antebrachial cutaneous nerve, which provide an anatomic basis for designing the distally based compound flap pedicled with the nutrient vessels of cephalic vein. The rotation point of compound flap pedicled with the recurrent branch of radius styloid process (or branch of snuff tobacco) can reach the surface of rotation joint, which can be adopted in the transposition and reconstruction of distal tissue defects in hands.