The blood supply of dorsal tongue flaps.
Current advice on the design of dorsal tongue flaps is conflicting because of insufficient understanding of the blood supply. A detailed study of the vascular anatomy shows that the dorsal mucosa has a distinctive vascular pattern that commends the choice of a posteriorly-based midline flap for closure of defects in the soft palate and posterior part of the hard palate. More anterior defects are more easily closed with an anteriorly-based midline flap.
D006801:Humans; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D014059:Tongue / Q000098:blood supply / Q000637:transplantation*