Many patients with malignancies of the head and neck undergo radiation therapy, either as the only method of treatment or in combination with surgery. Radiation therapy has great effect in the case of fairly advanced malignancies which can't be
operated
radically. But the complication of radiation therapy arise because of damage to the peri- and operated area.
In is fully known that irradiated tissue shows retarded healing process in the skin, mucosa and especially vascuslar tissue.
The purpose of this study was to observe the healing process of irradiated free or island flap after operation.
As Experimental Models.
Femoral arterial and venous anastomosis (Group 1), Epigastric-island flap (Group 2) and free Epigastric falp(Group 3) with irradiated postoperative 24 hrs were made on 30 rats/group.
As Control Model(Group 4),
Free Epigastric flap was not irradiated after operation was chosen on 30 rates.
The amount of irradiation was single fraction of 20 Gy using as linear megavoltage accelerator.
Difference between Experimental and Control group was evaluated by the method of clinical examination, histopatholoical findings, biochemical analysis and DNA activity at postoperative 1, 3, 7, 14 and 28 days.
@ES The results were as follows.
@EN 1. Skin color and new epithelization in group 2 and 3 was similar to control group clinically.
2. Postoperarive patency of femoral artery and vien showed 5% and 22% of ischemity.
3. The externa, media and intima of irradiated femoral artery and vein were similar to control group histopathlogically.
4. Granulation and collage tissue accumulation of irradiated groups were more active due to degenerative and fibrotic changes than control group at postoperative 7 days histopathologically
5. The hydroxyproline content of all experimental groups were reduced till 14 days and the group 2 was most prominent at postoperative 7 and 28 days(p<0.05).
6. DNA activites of all groups were reduced till 3 days, but begun to recover at 7 days and more activites in control group than irradiated group(P<0.05).
Based on the above-results, the clinical healing process of free flaps with irradiated postoperative 24 hrs little difference from control group without complications.
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