The Role of CT Angiography in Designing a Hair-Bearing Superficial Temporal Artery Flap for Eyebrow Reconstruction

Abstract

The hair-bearing superficial temporal artery flap is one of the traditional options for total eyebrow reconstruction. The anatomical variation of the superficial temporal artery has been well discussed; however, the anatomy of the superficial temporal vein is highly diverse. The authors report the use of preoperative computed tomography (CT) angiography in a 27-year-old man with a total eyebrow defect caused by thermal burn injury. The authors harvested a 6×1.5-cm pedicled hair-bearing superficial temporal artery flap from the area where the parietal branches of the superficial temporal artery and vein were running in close proximity, according to the CT angiography findings. Postoperatively, the flap survived completely without any vascular compromise. The authors believe that preoperative visualization of the superficial temporal vessels with CT angiography is highly beneficial in performing safe eyebrow reconstruction with a hair-bearing superficial temporal artery flap.