Access the full text.
Sign up today, get DeepDyve free for 14 days.
References for this paper are not available at this time. We will be adding them shortly, thank you for your patience.
Purpose: The need for a secondary source of venous drainage in deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEP) flaps is common, with the cephalic vein commonly utilized alternative venous recipient vessel. In using the cephalic vein, previous studies have described the deltopectoral groove or the infraclavicular fossa as the site for harvest. Methodology: We describe the use of a new technique in cephalic vein harvest, using an anterior axillary skin crease. The technique and outcomes in 100 patients undergoing DIEP flap breast reconstruction is described. Results: The technique is shown to improve aesthetic outcome, reduce the time needed for harvest, enable a greater length of vein to be transposed and minimize surgical insult to the upper breast / chest wall. Conclusion: An anterior axillary line skin fold can be used as the site for cephalic vein harvest, and using the methodology described, the technique can be fast, highly reliable and result in a final scar that is barely visible.
Anz Journal of Surgery – Wiley
Published: May 1, 2009
Read and print from thousands of top scholarly journals.
Already have an account? Log in
Bookmark this article. You can see your Bookmarks on your DeepDyve Library.
To save an article, log in first, or sign up for a DeepDyve account if you don’t already have one.
Copy and paste the desired citation format or use the link below to download a file formatted for EndNote
Access the full text.
Sign up today, get DeepDyve free for 14 days.
All DeepDyve websites use cookies to improve your online experience. They were placed on your computer when you launched this website. You can change your cookie settings through your browser.