Bilateral superior epigastric pedicle perforator flaps for total chest wall coverage

J Plast Reconstr Aesthet Surg. 2011 Aug;64(8):1104-7. doi: 10.1016/j.bjps.2010.11.025. Epub 2011 Jan 14.

Abstract

The superior epigastric artery (SEA), a terminal branch of the internal mammary artery, is analogous to the deep inferior epigastric artery (DIEA) in that it supplies a large number of perforators that are clustered together. This allows tissue from the superior abdomen to be used as a pedicled flap for reconstruction. A reliable and well-perfused pedicled flap can be based on this cluster of perforators, hence the term 'pedicle cluster perforator flap'. We present a case of a patient with recurrent angiosarcoma, who required total anterior chest wall reconstruction. This was achieved using bilateral pedicled SEA perforator flaps for complete coverage. To our knowledge, this is the first documented case of bilateral pedicled perforator flap reconstruction for complete chest wall reconstruction.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Breast Neoplasms / surgery*
  • Female
  • Hemangiosarcoma / surgery*
  • Humans
  • Mastectomy
  • Surgical Flaps / blood supply*
  • Thoracic Neoplasms / surgery*
  • Thoracic Wall / surgery*