• Ju-Young Lee, Jeong-Nam Kim, Ja-Young Yoo, Kang-Jae Shin, Wu-Chul Song, Ki-Seok Koh, Soon-Heum Kim, and Hyun-Gon Choi.
• From the Departments of *Anatomy, and †Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Research Institute of Medical Science, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
• Ann Plast Surg. 2014 Sep 1; 73 (3): 321-4.

BackgroundThe aims of the present study were to clarify the topographic relationships between various structures in the lateral midface and to provide important anatomical information pertinent to face lifting or treatment of damage to the midface structure.MethodsThirty-two fixed cadavers were dissected (23 males and 9 females; mean age, 66.8 years) and 55 sides of midface were used. The transverse facial artery (TFA), zygomatic branch (Zb) and buccal branch (Bb) of the facial nerve, and the parotid duct (PD) were identified. The structures of the lateral midface were measured relative to the zygion and tragion. The vertical average distances from the zygion to each structure increased in the following order: ZB of the facial nerve, TFA, first Bb of the facial nerve, and PD. The horizontal average distance from the tragion to the point of emergence from anterior border of the parotid gland was also measured.ResultsThe TFA was the closest and the third Bb of the facial nerve was the farthest away. The angles between the horizontal line and ZB of the facial nerve, TFA, PD, and first Bb of the facial nerve were +10.4, -2.3, -18.5, and -27.1 degrees, respectively.ConclusionsThese results may be used to establish the precise locations and the courses of the important midface structures, and represent valuable data that may help to prevent complications during surgery for face lifting and reconstruction of the facial nerve and PD.

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