Pre-injection ultrasound scanning for treating temporal hollowing.

[BACKGROUND] Hyaluronic acid filler injection is commonly administered to correct temple hollowness, typically through deep temporal injection. Since the vascular distribution at the injection site can be diverse, studies on avoiding damage to the corresponding blood vessels are needed.

[AIMS] To assess the commonly used hyaluronic acid filler injection site in the temple region, 1cm lateral and 1 cm above from the end of eyebrow, using a Doppler ultrasound to detect any anatomic variations in the blood vessels.

[PATIENTS/METHODS] Thirty patients (60 temples, right and left) were examined using Doppler ultrasonography. An 8-17 MHz ultrasound probe was used to discriminate between the anatomic layers of the temple. Blood vessels found in each anatomical layer were subsequently investigated.

[RESULTS] Among the 30 patients included in this study, we found temporal region arteries 1 cm above and 1 cm lateral to the distal end of the eyebrow in 9 patients; However, no arteries were detected in the temples of 21 patients. The presence or absence of arteries was bilateral in all patients.

[CONCLUSIONS] The anatomical layers with blood vessels varied among patients. The variability could give rise to complications. Possible anatomic variations at the temple should be carefully identified using pre-injection ultrasonography, and harming blood vessels should be avoided while injecting hyaluronic acid filler for temple augmentation.