The shark flap: a modified internal mammary artery perforator flap for composite defects in head and neck reconstruction

Anna Scarabosio; Alessandro Tel; Filippo Contessi Negrini; Roberta Albanese; Massimo Robiony; Piercamillo Parodi

doi:10.1080/23320885.2023.2178924

The shark flap: a modified internal mammary artery perforator flap for composite defects in head and neck reconstruction

Case Reports Plast Surg Hand Surg. 2023 Feb 15;10(1):2178924. doi: 10.1080/23320885.2023.2178924. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Anna Scarabosio¹, Alessandro Tel², Filippo Contessi Negrini¹, Roberta Albanese³, Massimo Robiony², Piercamillo Parodi¹

Affiliations

¹ Plastic Surgery Resident at Santa Maria della Misericordia Hospital, Udine, Italy.
² Maxillo-Facial Surgery Resident at Santa Maria della Misericordia Hospital, Udine, Italy.
³ Plastic Surgery Consultant at Santa Maria della Misericordia Hospital, Udine, Italy.

Abstract

This report describes a multi-vector variant of IMAP flap which allows to reconstruct composite head and neck defects. It was named the 'shark flap' because of its shape: a main body (the regular IMAP) and a superior 'fin' based on a randomic vascular pathway.

Keywords: composite flap; head and neck reconstruction; iMAP flap; pedicled flap; shark flap.

Publication types

Case Reports