title: Reverse facial artery flap from the submental region.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Of all the local flaps that allow elevation of a sufficiently large-sized flap while also leaving an inconspicuous donor-site scar, the submental island flap is frequently used for the reconstruction of a defect in the lower two-thirds of the face. However, this flap has certain disadvantages such as the technique being slightly difficult to perform and, more importantly, that it carries a significant risk of injury to the facial nerve.
  
  
  METHODS
  Here, we propose the reverse facial artery flap, elevated from the submandibular region. Our method creates a flap that includes only the platysma under the skin island, without either the submental or facial artery. However, above the superior border of the skin island, the flap includes the facial artery along with subcutaneous soft tissue. The blood circulation of the skin island is in a random pattern and that of the subcutaneous pedicle is in an axial pattern.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four cases were treated using our method. There were no complications in all four cases, and the results were also cosmetically very good.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As compared to the submental island flap, our method is easier to perform and carries a much lower risk of damage to the marginal mandibular branch of the facial nerve, as the facial artery crosses over the facial nerve at only one point. In addition, the method produces a thin flap. Therefore, when considering correction of a small-sized defect in the lower two-thirds of the face, our method has a number of advantages over the submental island flap.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan. mau@sapmed.ac.jp
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamauchi
authors.forename: Takatoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yotsuyanagi
authors.forename: Kyori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ezoe
authors.forename: Tamotsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Kanae
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Koshiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Arai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001158:Arteries / Q000601:surgery*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000601:surgery; D005145:Face / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D009669:Nose Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D010212:Papilloma / Q000601:surgery; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D016038:Skin Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000098:blood supply*