title: Midcheek endoscopic anatomy.
abstract: Surgical approaches to the midcheek area are challenging. Recent clinical reports have proposed minimally endoscopic approach again, in order to obtain to obtain a correct balance between the operation's safety and the cosmetic and minimally invasive outcome, but none of them provides a careful anatomic description of the midcheek area. The purpose of this study was to provide a new anatomic perception of the midcheek area through a detailed anatomic endoscopic-assisted dissection.
  
  
  
  Four freshly injected cadaver heads were dissected to illustrate the endoscopic anatomy of the midcheek region.
  
  
  
  An endoscope provided an excellent surgical window that achieved greater exposure for dissection and at the same time improved magnification of the noble key anatomic elements.
  
  
  
  This study emphasizes the critical role of the transverse facial artery and the facial retaining ligaments as a fundamental endoscopic landmark that allows the identification of key anatomic structures and the creation of safe surgical corridors. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E268-E273, 2016.
authors.affiliation: Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Abbate
authors.affiliation: Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Romano
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Abdulaziz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: AlQahtani
authors.affiliation: Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Manfuso
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University of Tubingen Medical Center, Tubingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hirt
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Castelnuovo
authors.affiliation: Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Califano
mesh_terms: D001158:Arteries; D002102:Cadaver; D002610:Cheek / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D004210:Dissection; D004724:Endoscopy; D006801:Humans; D008022:Ligaments
keywords: accessory parotid gland; endoscopic approach; midcheek anatomy; midcheek mass; retaining ligaments