A study of the use of the supraclavicular artery flap for resurfacing of head, neck, and upper torso defects

Abstract

The head and neck region is an aesthetically demanding area to resurface because of its high visibility. Tissue defects in this area often require distant flaps or free flaps to achieve an aesthetically acceptable result. The use of the Supraclavicular artery flap represents an extremely versatile and useful option for the resurfacing of head, neck and upper torso defects. Furthermore, islanding the flap gives it a wide arc of rotation and the color and texture match is superior to that of free flaps harvested from distant sites. In our study, we used the flap (both unexpanded and expanded) predominantly for resurfacing neck defects resulting from the release of post-burn contractures. However, its applicability in other indications would also be similar. Except one, all our flaps survived almost completely and the post-operative morbidity was very low. We conclude that the supraclavicular artery flap not only provides a reasonably good color and texture match but also maintains the multi-directional activity in the neck region.