ARTERIAL ANATOMY OF THE FACE - AN ANALYSIS OF VASCULAR TERRITORIES AND PERFORATING CUTANEOUS VESSELS

The cutaneous arterial circulation of the face and scalp was investiga ted by using multiple anatomic techniques in fresh cadaver specimens. Selective ink injections, dissection and measurement of latex-hardened perforators, and radiographic examination of transverse sections of b arium-injected specimens defined 11 vascular territories of the face a nd scalp. Three distinct patterns of arterial vascularization were obs erved: (1) small, densely populated musculocutaneous perforating arter ies supply the anterior face (facial, infraorbital arteries), (2) larg e, sparsely populated fasciocutaneous perforators that occur in predic table locations supply the lateral region of the face (branches of the transverse facial, submental, and zygomatico-orbital arteries), and ( 3) small, densely populated fasciocutaneous perforators supply the sca lp (occipital, superficial temporal, and posterior auricular arteries) . The locations of the perforation sites of the transverse facial, zyg omatico-orbital, supratrochlear, supraorbital, and superficial tempora l arteries may be predicted statistically within 2-cm limits with 95 p ercent certainty for individuals in the general population. The result s of this study provide the anatomic framework to potentially revise o r improve current reconstructive or aesthetic procedures on the face b ased on known arteries.