The definition of vascular skin territories with prostaglandin E 1—the anterior chest, abdomen and thigh-inguinal region

Abstract

The vascular skin territories over the anterior chest, the abdomen and thigh-inguinal region in man have been defined in vivo using selective angiography and the intra-arterial injection of Prostaglandin E 1. With this method it was clear that the vascular skin territories represented the area of axial patterns. The technique had significant advantages over other conventional methods of definition of skin vascular territories. The survival area of axial pattern flaps was often far greater than the precise vascular skin territory of its axial vessels and the extent of this phenomenon appeared to depend mainly on the vascular pattern of the adjoining territories.