title: Epiperitoneal vessels: more resources to perform DIEP flaps.
abstract: The development of the DIEP flap established an accepted concept of reconstructive surgery, but in patients who demonstrate inadequate in vivo flap perfusion, alternative surgical options to improve vascularisation are limited. We present a 42-year-old patient, with a left mastectomy whose breast was reconstructed with a DIEP flap. After anastomosis to the internal mammary vessels there was insufficient arterial perfusion of the flap. The situation was resolved by using an independent medial perforator artery emerging from the peritoneal layer (epiperitoneal vessels). This new pedicle was anastomosed end-to-end to the distal portion of the inferior epigastric artery. We consider that epiperitoneal vessels can be an emergency pedicle when needed and a possible alternative to the main pedicle of the DIEP flap.
authors: Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Servicio de Cirugía Plástica y Reparadora, Madrid, Spain. jm_lasso@hotmail.com
authors: J M
authors: JM
authors: Lasso
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Sancho
authors: V
authors: V
authors: Campo
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Jiménez
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Pérez Cano
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical / Q000379:methods; D019074:Epigastric Arteries / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016462:Mammaplasty / Q000379:methods*; D008323:Mammary Arteries / Q000601:surgery; D008408:Mastectomy; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000379:methods; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000098:blood supply*