The superficial circumflex iliac artery (SCIA) is the most reliably present perforator vessel supplying the thin skin lateral to and below the inguinal ligament. It is the pedicle for the SCIA flap, a thin fasciocutaneous flap used for head and neck and extremity reconstruction. Its Doppler signal is identified just below the inguinal ligament lateral to the femoral pulse before flap harvest.
| Origin | Femoral artery just below the inguinal ligament |
|---|---|
| Course | Passes laterally below the inguinal ligament toward the ASIS, running in the superficial fascia |
| Branches |
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The superficial circumflex iliac artery is the pedicle of the SCIP (superficial circumflex iliac perforator) flap, a very thin, pliable skin flap used to resurface the hand, foot, face and limbs where bulk is unwanted. The donor scar lies low in the groin and is easily hidden, and the site can usually be closed directly. The vessel is small (about 1-2 mm), so precise microsurgery is needed, and CT angiography or Doppler mapping locates the perforators beforehand. The flap can carry a few groin lymph nodes for vascularised lymph node transfer in lymphoedema.
Harvest of the flap for reconstruction is closed primarily in the groin; seroma, wound breakdown and lymphatic leak are the main donor site problems.
Dissection along the artery near the superficial inguinal nodes can cause lymphocele or, rarely, leg lymphoedema, so lymph-node-sparing harvest is preferred.
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