Use of galeal or pericranial flaps for reconstruction or orbital and eyelid defects
D. T. Tse, W. J. Goodwin, T. Johnson, S. Gilberg and M. Meldrum
Department of Ophthalmology, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami School of Medicine, Fla., USA.
The use of galeal or pericranial flaps for craniofacial reconstruction is
well recognized. The excellent blood supply of the flap permits
vascularized support for skin, bone, or cartilage grafts in otherwise
unsatisfactory recipient sites. The pericranial flap was used in 1 patient
with a large orbital bony defect and the galeopericranial flap was used in
3 patients with various periocular defects produced by trauma or following
tumor extirpation. In the case of an orbital defect induced by chronic
cocaine abuse, the pericranial flap successfully sequestered the orbit from
the nasal cavity while providing support for the globe. In 3 of the 4 cases
involving eyelid reconstruction, the galeopericranial flap served a dual
function in providing vascular supply to the underlying free tarsal graft
and to the overlying free skin graft. This tissue flap is analogous to a
median forehead flap, except skin is not transposed and a second-stage
inset revision is not required.
