Damaged or diseased portions of the arterial system have been traditionally managed by interposition vein grafts. However, arterial grafts are considered superior to venous grafts when used for microsurgical grafting procedures given their improved size match, handling, characteristics, and superior patency rates. In this report, the authors perform a cadaveric anatomical dissection of the Deep Inferior Epigastic Arterial (DIEA) system and report their results on nine clinical cases where the DIEA was used as a vascular conduit.
The clinical useful arterial length was consistently 12 cm and no significant differences were noted between the right and the left sides. In the nine clinical cases were arterial bypass was required across the wrist crease, the size match was considered good and all grafts were patent at one year. The authors conclude that the DIEA is a good source for atherosclerotic disease free arterial grafts that has a consistent anatomy, predictable branching pattern, and ease of harvesting while in the supine position.
Artery, Inferior, Epigastric, Graft, Bypass, Microvascular
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