Question:medium
Which flap, with its correctly matched vascular pedicle, is commonly used in breast reconstruction?
Which flap, with its correctly matched vascular pedicle, is commonly used in breast reconstruction?
Show Hint
The flap whose name literally tells you its vessel is the only correctly matched pair.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- DIEP flap based on the deep inferior epigastric vessels
- TRAM flap based on the superior gluteal vessels
- Gluteal flap based on the thoracodorsal artery
- Latissimus dorsi flap based on the inferior epigastric artery
Show Solution
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Treat this as a flap-to-pedicle matching drill. The latissimus dorsi flap rides on the thoracodorsal artery (branch of the subscapular), so the option pairing it with the inferior epigastric artery is false. The gluteal flap takes its blood from the gluteal vessels, so pairing it with the thoracodorsal artery is false. The TRAM flap lives off the superior or inferior epigastric vessels, so the superior gluteal pairing is false. Only the DIEP flap, a true mainstay of autologous breast reconstruction, is correctly tied to the deep inferior epigastric vessels, which is literally what the acronym (Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator) spells out. So the right, correctly matched answer is the DIEP flap.
Was this answer helpful?
0
