Use of Internal Mammary Vessels in Head and Neck Microvascular Reconstruction

Abstract

Internal mammary vessels provide reliable recipient vessels for cervical and sternal microvascular reconstruction.

Total ‘rib’-preservation technique of internal mammary vessel exposure for free flap breast reconstruction: A 5-year prospective cohort study and instructional video

“…Furthermore, 5–14% of patients report chest wall contour abnormalities, characterised by visible depression on the medial chest wall [11–14] . In addition, with this more conventional approach the risk of pneumothorax, impaired vascularisation of the sternum and intercostal neuralgia may be increased [5,15–19] .…”

Internal Mammary Vessels: Alternate Recipient Vessels in Microvascular Head and Neck Reconstruction

“…6 Subcutaneous tunneling of the vascular pedicle allows a conduit to the surgical site. An example of a wellperfused jejunal flap after reanastomosis and before inset is shown in Figure 5, and the flap in situ with anastomosis to the IMVs is shown in Figure 6.…”

Dorsal scapular artery as a recipient vessel in the vessel‐depleted neck during free tissue transfer in head and neck reconstruction

“…Reconstructive strategies in this challenging group of patients include the use of regional pedicled flaps as well as microvascular reconstruction using alternate recipient vessels. Commonly reported recipient arteries in the vessel‐depleted neck include the superficial temporal artery, the transverse cervical artery, and the internal mammary artery . The dorsal scapular artery is a known branch off the subclavian that courses through the posterior triangle; however, it has not yet been described as a recipient vessel during free tissue transfer.…”

“…Commonly reported recipient arteries in the vessel-depleted neck include the superficial temporal artery, the transverse cervical artery, and the internal mammary artery. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] The dorsal scapular artery is a known branch off the subclavian that courses through the posterior triangle; however, it has not yet been described as a recipient vessel during free tissue transfer. This article provides an anatomic description utilizing cadaver dissection and 3D reconstructions of CT scans to illustrate the location and vessel characteristics of the dorsal scapular artery.…”