The Infraorbital Artery in Fetuses: Clinical Relevance in Perforator Flap Surgery

The reconstruction of soft tissue detects in mid facial region are highly demanding. Most challenging region are nasal alla. For full thickness nasal alla defects most authors use nasolabial flap based on facial/angular arcade, but for recidivans tumors the infraorbital perforator flap is a good solution.

The aim of our research was to analyze the number and the course of the infraorbital artery terminal branches.

Material was 60 fetal hemifacial specimens of different gestational ages. Fetuses were fixed in 10% formalin and arterial blood vessels were injected with Micropaque solution (barium sulfate). Samples were further processed by Spalteholz technique, their images captured with digital camera and analyzed. Infraorbital artery was constant artery and had 2 to 4 terminal branches supplying infraorbital region. The majority of its terminal branches were characterized with descending course. Reach anatomical network of infraorbital artery made anastomoses with facial artery.

Perforator flap based on infraorbital artery had well defined vascular supply with numerous soft tissue branches, which qualify this flap as safe solution for nasal reconstruction.