Features of the blood supply of some areas of the head in human fetuses

Abstract

Summary. Patients with scalp defects require a comprehensive examination to save lives and reduce the consequences of trauma. Plastic surgeons must take into account the anatomical, functional and cosmetic characteristics of the scalp. The aim of the study – to find out the topographical and anatomical relationships of the superficial temporal artery and its branches in human fetuses of 4–8 months. Materials and Methods. The research was carried out on the preparations of 22 human fetuses of 81.0–310.0 mm parietal-coccygeal length (PCL) without external signs of anatomical deviations or anomalies of the development of bone, fascial-muscular and vascular-nervous structures of the head using macromicroscopic dissection, injection of vessels and morphometry. Results. The classic variant of the topography of the superficial temporal artery was found in most of the examined fetuses. In some of them, variants of branching of the superficial temporal artery, variability of the number of branches, and various anastomoses have been established. A variant of branching of the left superficial temporal artery was observed in a human fetus with a 195.0 mm PCL. An anastomosis between the right and left supraorbital arteries and the frontal branches of the right and left superficial temporal arteries was found in a 230.0 mm PCL fetus. In a human fetus with a 180.0 mm PCL, a blood supply variant of the left posterolateral part of the head was found. The left occipital artery provided blood supply not only to the occipital but also to the parietal areas. In another human fetus with a 170.0 mm PCL, a doubling of the right occipital artery was detected. Conclusions. In the fetal period of human ontogenesis, the anatomical variability of the arteries supplying blood to the skin and surface structures of the head has been established. Variants of the topography of the superficial temporal artery, the supraorbital artery, and the occipital artery were revealed, manifested by the variability of the shape, the number of branches, and the formation of arterial anastomoses. The various topographic variants of the branches of the superficial temporal artery, supraorbital and occipital arteries described in human fetuses will help plastic surgeons to choose individually the most rational method of surgical intervention to repair head defects

Keywords

• superficial temporal artery
• occipital artery
• anatomical variability
• fetus
• human