ABSTRACT
A 37-year-old woman who underwent a parotidectomy for acinic cell carcinoma was referred
for correction of the resulting defect. As an assistant principal, the patient was
often in public and, because she was somewhat self-conscious about her facial deformity,
she sought reconstruction. Physical examination revealed a pre-auricular soft-tissue
defect that measured approximately 5 -5 cm. After consultation with the patient, microsurgical
transfer of fat from the lower abdomen based on branches of the deep inferior epigastric
vessels, rather than the deep inferior epigastric artery and vein itself, was planned.
A vertical skin ellipse measuring 6 -5 cm was raised from the right lower abdomen
with a pedicle consisting of only a branch of the deep inferior epigastric artery
and vein. The donor vessels were then microsurgically anastomosed to the superficial
temporal artery and vein on the left side of the face. Two weeks postoperatively the
flap was defatted, with removal of the skin-monitoring island. The patient continues
to do well with a normal contour of the face and decreased anxiety secondary to correction
of her facial deformity.
