title: Descending geniculate artery: the ideal recipient vessel for free tissue transfer coverage of below-the-knee amputation wounds.
abstract: The descending geniculate artery has received notoriety as the source vessel of the medial femoral condyle vascularized bone flap in recent years. Its size and location enable it to serve as a useful recipient vessel in free flap reconstruction about the knee. It is particularly useful in coverage of unstable below-the-knee amputation stumps when recipient vessels are limited. It provides the ease and convenience of two-team surgery in the supine position and its distal position permits convenient and distal insetting of the transferred flap of choice. A discussion of its use in this setting and exemplary cases are provided.
authors.affiliation: The Curtis National Hand Center, Union Memorial Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA. anne.mattson@medstar.net
authors.forename: James P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Higgins
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000671:Amputation, Surgical; D006801:Humans; D007717:Knee / Q000098:blood supply*; D007871:Leg Ulcer / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000098:blood supply*