Colour Doppler flow imaging of postauricular arteries and veins.

The posterior auricular vessels of both ears in 15 normal human adults were examined using a colour Doppler flow imager to investigate whether the imager might be helpful in preoperative assessment of the blood supply of the retroauricular skin. Thirty posterior auricular arteries and 23 posterior auricular veins were identified. A reversed arterial flow was observed in 15 out of 30 ears and a reversed venous flow was observed in 4 out of 30 ears after the blood flow of the vessel was stopped by applying pressure manually at the level of the mastoid process. The assessment of the size and location of the posterior auricular vessels with a colour Doppler flow imager is valuable in the planning of flaps based on these vessels. Furthermore, the observation of the reversed flow confirms the possibility of safe elevation of a posterior auricular flap based on the tributaries of the superficial temporal vessels.