LOWER ABDOMINAL PERITONEAL FLAP BASED ON THE DEEP INFERIOR EPIGASTRICARTERY - AN ANATOMIC STUDY

Free flaps based on the deep inferior epigastric artery are known to b e easily raised and offer a long and reliable vascular pedicle. Accord ing to the defect size and consistency, they can be raised as muscular , myocutaneous and as a sandwich flap, including the peritoneum [5] A free flap consisting of only the peritoneum has been speculated on. Se venteen dissections on fresh cadavers were performed, The visualizatio n of the vascular pedicle was obtained by blue dye coloration, contras t medium angiography, and intravascular silicone latex injections. It was found that the parietal peritoneum of the lower abdomen was consta ntly supplied by an axial branch of the deep inferior epigastric arter y and not by muscle perforators.