OBJECTIVE: study of the anatomical parameters of a skin flap irrigation based on perforating arteries of the medial gastrocnemius muscle through medial sural artery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: dissection of twelve legs and analysis of parameters such as medial gastrocnemius muscle’s length and width, amount of perforating vessels for a skin flap, length and width of medial sural artery’s pedicle, and medial sural artery origin relatively to popliteal cavus, in addition to perforating arteries localization data. RESULTS: 100% of legs presented with at least 2 perforating arteries with minimum diameter of 1 mm, and in 80% at least 3 perforating arteries were seen. The total amount of perforating arteries ranges from 2 to 4, in an average of 2.9. The average length of medial sural artery’s pedicle was 37.6 mm, ranging from 20 to 50 mm, and the average diameter was 3 mm, ranging from 2 to 4 mm. Regarding the origin of the pedicle, nine cases showed a distal origin to intercondylar line, with average distance of 24.8 mm, ranging from -10 mm to 40 mm. CONCLUSION: data reported in this study corroborate data found in literature, enabling us to conclude that this flap shows a vascular pedicle with length and width allowing its use both in local and free flaps.
Surgical Flaps; Muscle; Skeletal; Dissection
