Inferior extension of the groin flap based on the descending branch of the superficial circumflex iliac artery.

The authors present a groin flap which was extended inferiorly and included the descending branch of the superficial circumflex iliac artery (SCIA) as a new alternative technique. Little research has been previously done on the descending branch of the SCIA, but the authors found clinically that this small branch was consistently present, and decided to make use of it to extend the groin flap inferiorly. The procedure extending the groin flap was successfully applied in three patients, one with a degloving injury of the leg, and two with progressive hemifacial atrophy. The extended portion was elevated as an island flap based on the descending branch in the patient with the degloving injury. Results revealed that this technique added a new axial portion located on the upper median thigh to the vascular territory of the conventional groin flap, and could be used to make a two-island groin flap.