What is an angiosome?

• A. 3-dimensional region of tissue fed by a source artery
• B. A tissue area supplied by multiple arteries
• C. A region drained by the venous system
• D. A nerve-defined tissue region

Answer: (A)

An angiosome is a three-dimensional block of tissue that is fed by a single source artery and its branches. This way of looking at tissue perfusion helps surgeons predict how blood flow supports a defined region, which is crucial when planning reconstructive flaps or assessing how injury to a specific artery might impact the viability of the surrounding tissue. While adjacent angiosomes can receive blood from nearby arteries, each angiosome centers on a particular arterial supply. It’s not about venous drainage or about nerve-defined areas, and the key point is the territory served by one arterial source feeding that tissue block.