title: Arterial anatomy of the lower lip: a cadaveric study.
abstract: The aim of the study was to investigate the arterial anatomy of the lower lip. The location, course, length, and diameter of the inferior labial artery and the sublabial artery were revealed by bilateral meticulous anatomic dissections in 14 adult male preserved cadaver heads. Another cadaver head was used for silicone rubber injection to fill the regional arterial tree. The inferior labial artery was the main artery of the lower lip and in all cases branched off the facial artery. The mean length of the inferior labial artery was found to be 52.3 mm (range, 16 to 98 mm). The mean distance of the origin of the inferior labial artery from the labial commissura was 23.9 mm. The mean external diameter of the inferior labial artery at the origin was 1.2 mm. The sublabial artery was present in 10 (71 percent) of the cadavers. Mean measurements of this artery were 1 mm for diameter, 23.4 mm for length, and 27.6 mm for distance from the labial commissura. The sublabial artery may originate from the facial artery or the inferior labial artery. This study found that this region does not have a constant arterial distribution, the inferior labial artery and the sublabial artery (if it exists) can be in different locations unilaterally or bilaterally, and the diameter and the length may vary.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Medical School, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mete
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Edizer
authors.forename: Orhan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Mağden
authors.forename: Volkan
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tayfur
authors.forename: Amaç
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kiray
authors.forename: Ipek
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ergür
authors.forename: Atay
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Atabey
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001158:Arteries / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006801:Humans; D008046:Lip / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000601:surgery; D008866:Microsurgery; D012016:Reference Values; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000098:blood supply