Obtaining fascia lata

D. R. Jordan and R. L. Anderson

The surgical procedure for obtaining fascia lata can be easily carried out by the ophthalmic surgeon. However, anatomy related to obtaining the tissue, as outlined in standard surgical textbooks, is not entirely accurate and should be clarified. The tissue necessary for strong frontalis slings should come from a thick band of fascia lata referred to as the "iliotibial tract." If one attempts to obtain fascia lata by directing a fascia stripper along an imaginary line directed from the head of the fibula to the anterior iliac spine, as suggested in most textbooks, an inadequate specimen may be obtained. The iliotibial tract of fascia lata actually runs from the lateral tibial condyle to the iliac crest. The fascia stripper, therefore, needs to be directed along an imaginary line from the lateral tibial condyle to the iliac crest to obtain the strongest fascia lata and avoid transecting the longitudinal fibers.