Reconstruction of the inner canthus region with a forehead muscle flap: a report on three cases.
We report our experience of using a forehead flap to repair the defect left by the excision of skin tumours in the medial canthal region involving both eyelids in three patients. Both eyelids and the inner canthus were reconstructed using a myofascial flap taken from the forehead, combined with septal chondro-mucosal grafts, oral mucosa and skin grafts. After a careful anatomical study of the vascularisation of the frontal region, we used only the frontal myofascial portion, a part of the forehead muscle vascularised by the deep branch of the supraorbital artery and by the supratroclear artery; the skin left behind is adequately nourished by the fine mesh of anastomoses in the area between the two supratroclear arteries, the supraorbital artery and the terminal vessels of the superficial temporal artery. The particularly thin, elastic and resistant features of this flap enabled us to repair a loss of substance in a difficult area with a successful outcome in terms of morphology, function and cosmetic appearance.
Institute of Plastic Surgery and Burn Unit, University of Padua, Via Giustiniani 2, 35128 Padua, Italy.
A
A
Chiarelli
R
R
Forcignanò
D
D
Boatto
F
F
Zuliani
S
S
Bisazza
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000601:surgery*; D005142:Eyelid Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D005152:Facial Muscles / Q000601:surgery*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000601:surgery*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D013524:Surgical Flaps