Abstract

The superficial circumflex iliac artery is a small vessel that originates, usually in the femoral artery at the femoral triangle, heading parallel to the inguinal ligament to the anterior superior iliac spine. Currently it is frequently used in free flaps for head, neck, limbs and even in penile reconstruction. We dissected 68 inguinal regions in corpses in formolized topographic anatomy courses of the Universidad de La Frontera, Chile and Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The superficial circumflex iliac artery had a diameter of 1.42 mm on average, and the distance from its origin to the inguinal ligament was 15.1 mm. The artery originated directly from the femoral artery in 47 cases (69.1%), from a common trunk with the superficial epigastric artery in 14 (20.5%) and the lateral femoral circumflex artery in three cases (4.41 %) and four other sources (5.9%). Although it has a small diameter, superficial circumflex iliac artery is important for the anatomist as well as vascular and plastic surgeons, and essential for success in obtaining a good flap.