@article{3190398,
    title = "Anatomic Variations of the Deep Femoral Artery and Its Branches:
Clinical Implications on Anterolateral Thigh Harvesting",
    author = "Tzouma, Georgia and Kopanakis, Nikolaos A. and Tsakotos, George and and Skandalakis, Panagiotis N. and Filippou, Dimitrios",
    journal = "CUREUS",
    year = "2020",
    volume = "12",
    number = "4",
    publisher = "CUREUS INC",
    doi = "10.7759/cureus.7867",
    keywords = "deep femoral artery; profunda femoris artery; medial circumflex femoral
artery; lateral circumflex femoral artery; anterolateral thigh flap",
    abstract = "The deep femoral artery (DFA) is the largest branch of the common
femoral artery (CFA), supplying with its branches, the medial circumflex
femoral artery (MCFA) and lateral circumflex femoral artery (LCFA), the
thigh muscles, the hip joint, and the femur. Their anatomical variations
have a great impact on both interventional and surgical procedures. The
anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap, a versatile soft tissue with highly
increasing use in reconstructive surgery, is noticeably influenced by
this variability. A total of 25 articles were incorporated into the
review. Studies conducted after the year 2009 were included. After the
assessment of all studies included, we concluded that the DFA arises
from the CFA with a varying site of origin, the posterolateral being the
prevalent one found in 51.32% of cases. Of all cases studied, the MCFA
and the LCFA most often originated from the DFA in 63.125% and 74.92%,
respectively, but the CFA constitutes another frequent source of origin
in 27% and 12.12% of cases, respectively. The descending branch of the
lateral circumflex femoral artery (dLCFA) is the prominent pedicle in
the ALT flap, originating from the LCFA in 83.55% of cases. However,
the presence of an oblique lateral circumflex femoral artery (oLCFA)
branch with changeable origination was observed. Knowledge of the
anatomical variants in the deep femoral artery is imperative both for
interventional radiologists and surgeons. Especially in reconstructive
surgery, the possibility for different sources supplying the skin and
the pedicle compel surgeons to acquire an awareness of this subject."
}