Flap surgery is one of the most important surgical method in plastic surgery, therefore, various techniques of evaluation of flap survival have been developed.
In this study thermography used as a new technique to evaluate degree of flap survival and checked for the possibility as more precise and an easier method than any previous techniques.
Forty Wister Albino rats weighing about 200 grams were divided into 2 groups. The first group was the group of random pattern flaps (a 3 x 10 cm sized, superiorly based flap was elevated on the back area of the rats). The second group was the group of island pattern flaps (a 3 x6 cm sized, and its vascular pedicle was right superficial inferior epigastric vessels.) The second group was divided into 4 sub groups-control, artery ligated, vein ligated, and artery and vein ligated.
Thermographies were done in all cases before and after surgery.
In the group of random pattern flap, the rate of flap survival where the temperature was over 32t, was 95 % and the temperature of flap did not changed during the study. In the group of island pattern flap, the temperature of control group did not changed at 34°C, the artery or vein ligated group decreased below 30t after POD#3, and the artery and vein ligated group decreased below 30°C immediate operation.
Based upon the observations above, we believe that the thermography is very useful, easy to perform, and an accurate method in early detection of flap survival, especially in random pattern flaps.
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