Dissection and Permissible Levels of Proximal Mobilization of Anterior Tibial Vessels During Island Flaps Transfer

The article presents a discussion with the authors of a previously published article (Zelyanin D.A. et al. Features of the Extraction of the Anterior Tibial Vessels in the Formation of Vascularized Bone Grafts. Traumatology and Orthopedics of Russia. 2022. Vol. 28, No 1. p. 89-99), as well as on the basis of our own topographic and anatomical studies, the information about the details of the topography of the branches of the anterior tibial vascular bundle (ATVB) and the permissible levels of its proximal mobilization during island flaps transfer are justified. Topographic and anatomical study was performed on 32 non-fixed speciments of the lower extremities for substantiating plastic surgery with island skin flaps isolated on ATVB. The arterial bed of the lower leg was injected with black natural latex Revultex, followed by precision dissection and measurements of all branches of the anterior tibial artery (ATA) with a diameter of 0.3 mm or more using a binocular magnifier with a magnification of 3.3 times. All the studied branches of ATA were identified, the number of which varied from 26 to 49 (on average 38.53.2), and 88.7% of them went to the three muscles of the anterior group of the lower leg. At the same time, the average numbers of ATA branches departing in each of the 10% intervals of the length of the lower leg were determined, and the average total values of the cross-sectional area of arterial branches in these intervals were calculated. It was found that from 28% to 39% of the total cross-section of all branches of the ATA are localized in the first and second 10% intervals of the length of the lower leg, which makes it possible to justify the proximal limit of the mobilization of the ATVB. Reasonable criteria for choosing the level of proximal mobilization of the ATVB are: the location of the mobilization border is not higher than the level of the upper 20% of the length of the lower leg, the assignment of this border, at least 6 cm distal from the exit of the anterior tibial vessels into the anterior bone fascial sheath of the lower leg and the preservation of at least four feeding vascular bundles extending from the ATVB to the tibialis anterior muscle (two bundles) and to the extensor digitorum longus muscle (two bundles).