Introduction

The facial artery (FA) is the main artery supplying the anterior face, making this artery a very important structure to consider while performing plastic and reconstructive procedures. The literature shows discrepancies in anatomical classifications and the frequency of occurrence of individual variations. Therefore, the goal of this meta-analysis is to provide surgeons with helpful knowledge about the variety of the termination of FA.

Materials and methods

Articles with data about the termination of the FA were found in major online medical databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web Of Science and Cochrane Library. A total of 1346 articles were initially evaluated by two independent reviewers. Out of those, 24 articles matched the required criteria, and were used in this meta-analysis.

Results

A total of 2119 studied FAs were included in this study. The FA termination patterns were divided into five previously classified types. The data show that the FA terminates most frequently as the lateral nasal or angular artery with the prevalence for this group being 69.81% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 59.83% - 78.94%).

Conclusion

Authors believe that this is the most accurate and up to date study regarding termination patterns and the prevalence of the FA. The results of this meta-analysis could provide a helpful tool for surgeons preforming plastic and cosmetic procedures, especially when injecting dermal fillers or choosing and preforming facial flaps. Detailed anatomical knowledge about the FA may prevent potential surgical complications.

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