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A range of congenital, pathological and iatrogenic variants in IT artery anatomy have the potential to limit the use of the IT artery in autologous breast reconstruction. Preoperative imaging with ultrasound or CTA may provide a clear and accurate method of identifying these anatomical variations pre-operatively.

The anterior abdominal wall integument is frequently used in a range of reconstructive flaps. These tissues are supplied by the deep and superficial inferior epigastric arteries (DIEA and SIEAs) and the deep and superficial superior epigastric arteries (DSEA and SSEAs). Previous abdominal wall surgery alters this vascular anatomy and may influence flap design. One hundred and sixty-eight patients underwent abdominal wall computed tomographic angiography (CTA) for preoperative imaging. Fifty-eight of these patients had undergone previous abdominal surgery, and were assessed for scar pattern and relationship to the course and distribution of all major axial vessels and perforators. Two cadaveric abdominal wall specimens with midline abdominal scars underwent contrast injection of the DIEAs and DSEAs, with subsequent CTA. The course and distribution of all cutaneous vessels were assessed. In all clinical and cadaveric cases, the vasculature of the abdominal wall had been altered by previous surgery. In the clinical cases, vascular architecture was universally altered in the region of the scar, often modifying the filling patterns of the abdominal wall and occasionally precluding the use of an abdominal wall flap. In both cadaveric specimens, regions of non-filling were evident upon contrast injection, highlighting the angiosomes not supplied by the DIEA or DSEA. Previous abdominal wall surgery necessarily alters the vascular architecture of the abdominal wall, and may alter the source vessels supplying cutaneous tissues. CTA was useful in identifying and delineating these changes, and may be used as a preoperative tool in this role.

Perioperative blood loss during and following breast reconstruction surgery can have substantial impact on free flap survival and patient morbidity. Transfusion rates of up to 95% have been reported following transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap breast reconstruction, with blood loss described as significant in most cases. However, there has been little reported of such requirements in patients undergoing deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap breast reconstruction. We present the transfusion requirements of 152 consecutive patients who underwent DIEP flap breast reconstruction, with a view to quantifying transfusion requirements and identifying risk factors for such loss. In this cohort, 80.3% of patients required blood transfusion, with a mean volume of 3.9 U per patient. There was a statistically significant correlation for increased transfusion requirement in patients with preoperative anemia ( P < 0.001) and in bilateral cases ( P < 0.001), but not for cases of immediate reconstruction ( P = 0.72). Although blood loss in breast reconstructive surgery is rarely large enough to be life-threatening, relative anemia does have significant effect on flap survival and patient morbidity. With risk factors for increased transfusion requirements identified in the current study, high-risk patients can be predicted preoperatively.