The anatomy of the subscapular artery and its effects on flap design in the rabbit.

The course of the subscapular artery was studied in 20 rabbits. Its course was constant, giving two branches to the latissimus dorsi muscle after which the vessel sent a branch (S1) that perforated the panniculus carnosus to supply a large territory of skin. In a separate experiment, the contribution of the S1 branch to the viability of the rabbit latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap was evaluated. From this experiment it can be concluded that, first, it is possible in a rabbit to elevate a large skin flap based solely on a muscle perforator (S1), which survives completely. Second, in the rabbit latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap, S1 is the major blood supply to the skin component. Damage to it severely diminishes skin flap survival, even if the vascular supply to the underlying muscle is completely intact.