Microsurgery and myocutaneous flap have been developed recently for wide employment in plastic and reconstructive surgery. Therefore, the delay procedure has been declined in its use recently, because it has many difficult problems. If the flap is longer and larger, it should be delayed for complete survival, but delay requires considerable time. Therefore, as a substitute for delay, vascular anastomosis in the distal part of a flap will theoretically give the same effect.
In this study, we investigated the importance of arterial inflow in the distal side of a flap in rats.
The experiment was done in 3 different groups according to the design of flaps and in each group 3 subgroups were made. In A flap, the superficial epigastric artery was preserved or anastomosis. In V flap. the superficial epigastric vein was preserved or anastomosis. In C flap, as a control flap, both artery and vein were severed.
In result, A flaps in all 3 groups were completely survived. Both V and C flaps in all 3
groups were showed distal necrosis. But C flaps were showed more necrosis than V flaps.
In conclusion, we suggest the possibility that a large flap may be transposed in one stage
with vascular anastomosis in the distal part-preferably artery and vein, or artery only.
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