An unusual "venous circle" of the internal mammary vein encountered during microvascular anastomosis and implications for practice

S Samaras; M A McKelvie; G Oni; C M Malata

doi:10.1080/23320885.2020.1754129

An unusual "venous circle" of the internal mammary vein encountered during microvascular anastomosis and implications for practice

Case Reports Plast Surg Hand Surg. 2020 Apr 22;7(1):54-56. doi: 10.1080/23320885.2020.1754129. eCollection 2020.

Authors

S Samaras^{1

2}, M A McKelvie¹, G Oni¹, C M Malata^{1

3

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK.
² Department of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, 401 Military Hospital of Athens, Athens, Greece.
³ Anglia Ruskin School of Medicine, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge and Chelmsford, UK.
⁴ Cambridge Breast Unit, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK.

Abstract

The internal mammary vessels are commonly used for anastomosis in breast reconstruction. The anatomy when using the 2nd ICS has been shown to be predictable and hence preferentially used by the senior author. We present an unusual case of internal mammary vein bifurcation and immediate confluence forming a 'venous circle'.

Keywords: Breast reconstruction; free tissue flaps; mammary arteries; microsurgery; regional anatomy.

Publication types

Case Reports