J Korean Soc Plast Reconstr Surg.  1997 May;24(3):459-467.

SURVIVAL PATTERN OF PREVIOUSLY EXPANDED ARTERIALIZED VENOUS FLAPS

• Shin HJ
• Woo SH
• Jeong JH
• Seul JH

Abstract

Since 1981 there have been many clinical and experimental reports of venous skin flap, which was nourished solely by venous blood, or by arteria1 blood flowing through the venous network. But, the mechanism of survival has not been completely understood. Unfortunately, partial flap necrosis and unstable postoperative recovery course make surgeons hesitant in choosing the venous flap. In order to increase the survival of a venous flap, surgical delay procedure or increasing the number of draining veins have been successfully tried. Historically, tissue expansion has the same effect on skin vascularity as delaying the area The increase in the caliber of the blood vessels and adequate neovascularization of the expanded tissue can increase the size and vascularity of the flap while allowing primary closure of the donor defect. In order to investigate the survival pattern of expanded arterialized venous flap, the author conducted the following study. The arterialized venous flaps were divided into control and two experimental groups. The conventional nonexpanded arterialized venous flap of 5x5 cm in size was used as control group On experimental group I, preoperative tissue expansion was performed during 3 weeks, and then arterialized venous flap with the same size was made. On experimental group II, expanded arterialized venous flap with 10x10 cm in size was made. The mean survival rate of control, experimental group I and II was 81.2%, 98.8% and 99.1%, respectively. The angiogram of expanded flap showed dilatation of the vessels and neovascularization with tortuous vessels to the peripheral area of the flap. In conclusion, the survival of expanded arterialized venous flap was superior than that of conventional arterialized venous flap. The expanded venous flaps appear to be useful in producing large flaps, in decreasing marginal necrosis of the flap as well as minimizing donor defect.

MeSH Terms

Blood Vessels
Dilatation
Humans
Necrosis
Skin
Surgical Flaps
Survival Rate
Tissue Donors
Tissue Expansion
Veins