ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effect of the color doppler flow imaging (CDFI) technique in the design of the axial pattern flap.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From March 1996 to June 1999, ten patients were included in this study. Among them, there were seven males and three females. Their defects ranged from 6 cm x 8 cm to 15 cm x 20 cm. Before operation, an axial flap was designed by the traditional method. Then CDFI technique of high frequency (5.0-7.5 MHz) was used to examine the major arterial supply of the flap and modify the design accordingly. At last, the modified flap was transferred to cover the defect.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All the patients except one underwent the operation successfully. The cosmetic and functional results of the flap were excellent.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>CDFI is a simple, direct and accurate method for detecting the vascular supply of an axial pattern flap. This technique should be popularized to avoid blindness of flap design.</p>