[Anatomy and clinical aspects of sartoriusplasty]

According to Mathes and Nahai (1982) the sartorius muscle is supplied in a segmental fashion (Type IV) from six to ten branches arising from the superficial femoral artery. They state that the use of this flap is limited because of the segmental blood supply. In contrast, dissecting 40 cadaver specimens at the Anatomy Department of Munich University a different vascular anatomy was revealed in which only two to four branches from the femoral artery supply the whole muscle. Based on this pattern of intramuscular vascular connections, the most proximal arterial branch provides the blood supply to the whole muscle. Elevated on the proximal vascular pedicle the muscle can cover defects of symphysis, fill the acetabulum following disarticulation of the septic hip joint and osteomyelitic defects of femur.