ABSTRACT
Overview A lateral thoracic artery axial pattern flap is mainly used for defects involving the elbow region, but it also has potential for other difficult wounds within its arc of rotation. The flap is based on the lateral thoracic artery and vein. The lateral thor - acic artery is the second branch of the axillary artery and is directed caudally and runs deep to the axillary lymph node. The same artery also branches off to the deep pectoral muscle and the latissimus dorsi muscle. The lateral thoracic artery has multiple superficial branches. This network of blood vessels in the subcutaneous tissue supplies the skin dorsal and ventral to the main trunk of the artery and reaches from the midline ventrally to the mid-thorax dorsally. The anatomical position of the lateral thoracic artery is comparable in dogs and cats, but in dogs the artery supplies the skin of
skin as caudally as the last rib. The point where the lateral artery becomes superficial is the centre of the flap. This point (caudal to the triceps muscle and adjacent to the dorsal border of the deep pectoral muscle) can be palpated. The landmarks for the flap are the midline ventrally and dorsally a line parallel to the ventral border at a distance that equals the distance from the centre of the flap to the ventral border. The caudal border is the eigth rib in dogs and the 13th rib in cats. A smaller size flap can be created to minimize skin flap necrosis (480, 481).
