OBJECTIVETo study the microsurgical anatomy of human epiglottic blood vessel to provide exact and reliable data and morphological properties for further studies of laryngeal transplantation, reconstruction and other epiglottis-related diseases.

METHODSThirty Chinese adult cadavers (27 males and 3 females) were examined for the present study. The cadavers were dissected under magnification along the anatomic planes from skin down to vertebral column. The anterior neck was exposed by a midline incision and extended laterally along the angle of mandible superiorly, and on clavicle inferiorly. After the visualization of laryngeal prominence of thyroid cartilage, strap muscles were resected and superior laryngeal artery and epiglottic blood vessel were exposed under an operating microscope ( original magnification 7 -30). The epiglottic artery was named for the first time.

RESULTSThe diameter of superior laryngeal artery was (1. 06+/-0. 16) mm( male: 1. 09 mm+/-0. 12 mm). The diameter of origin epiglottic artery was (0. 79+/-0. 13) mm (male: 0. 81 mm+/-0. 11 mm). The vertical distance between origin epiglottic artery and superior horn of thyroid cartilage was (27. 16+/-3. 85) mm. Epiglottic artery loop was observed in all the cadavers, which could be M-, N-, omega-, or U-shaped and mixed under the thyrohyoid membrane or in the epiglottic vallecula.

CONCLUSIONSThese findings could improve the application of epiglottis in laryngeal functional reconstruction after partial laryngectomy, as well as in the prevention of epiglottic artery loop injuries during the operation.