Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 25, 2026

Coronoid-Temporalis Pedicled Flap for Orbital Floor Defect Reconstruction
Published on: December 5, 2025
Pectoralis Major Muscle Free Flap: Anatomical Studies on Pedicle Length and Vessel Diameter
Susanne Trainotti1, Thomas K Hoffmann1, Nicole Rotter2
11 Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Ulm University Medical Center, Universitätsklinikum Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
Abstract:
Large and deep defects resulting from lateral skull base surgery represent a challenge to the head and neck surgeon. Different microvascular free flaps have specific advantages and disadvantages. While the pedicled pectoralis major flap is considered a "work horse," it comes with a rather short pedicle. The aim of this study was to analyze the vascular anatomy of the pectoralis major flap and assess its suitability for microvascular transfer. Anatomical studies have been performed on 6 Thiel-fixed cadavers allowing a harvest of 12 flaps by the same surgeon. Measurements of the pedicle's length and vessel diameters have been taken with a ruler and caliper. The mean pedicle length and mean diameters (Ø) of the thoracoacromial artery and concomitant vein were found to be 9.8 cm, Ø 4.2 mm, and Ø 4.9 mm, respectively. These results suggest the potential utility of a free pectoralis major flap with microvascular anastomosis.
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