title: Submental perforator flap: location and number of submental perforating vessels.
abstract: The sites and numbers of submental perforator vessels were examined using a Doppler probe in 21 volunteers. The subcutaneous vascular network from each perforator was studied in three cases of dissection of upper-neck lymph nodes among the volunteers. A perforator from the submental vessels was noted in all 21 volunteers: a single perforator in 13 cases, and double perforators in eight. The main perforator, which had some subdermal branches, was located 31.8 (8.3) mm in front of the facial artery that was palpated at the mandible. Five patients who presented with skin defects on the cheek and the chin had the submental perforator flap reconstructed, excluding the platysma muscle. All flaps covered the wounds. The submental perforator flap was useful for reconstructing skin defects on the cheek and the chin, because the site of the submental perforator was stable and raising the flap was easy, and the colour and texture matches were acceptable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Honjo, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan. tumishia@kumamoto-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishihara
authors.forename: Toshikatsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Igata
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Masuguchi
authors.forename: Shigeto
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsushita
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.forename: Hironobu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ihn
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002680:Chin / Q000098:blood supply / Q000601:surgery*; D005145:Face / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009333:Neck / Q000098:blood supply / Q000601:surgery*; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000601:surgery; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000098:blood supply*; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting