AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE SURVIVAL MECHANISM OF AN AXIAL FLAP WITH EXTRA-TERRITORIAL BLOOD SUPPLY / 解放军医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Because of massive defects requiring repair, a flap with blood supply of extraterritorial blood vessels is often needed clinically, which is a little bigger than that with blood supply of axial blood vessels. In order to provide theoretical evidence for the survival of such a flap, we designed a 11cm ? 15 cm flap involving the thoracodorsalic and the lateral thoracic arteries on a rat's lateral thorax and abdomen. The flap was stained by methylene blue and filled with emulsion. The diameters of the anastomotic branches within the flap were measured at different times. The volumes of blood flow on different points of the flap were observed quantitatively by means of ECT scanning. The vitality of the flap was also observed.Our experiment proved that anastomotic branches between blood vessels are the anatomic bases for extra-territorial flap. Blood flows from one blood vessel supplying zone to another through the anastomotic branches between the blood vessels. After the flap formed, The diameters of its anastomotic branches would grow larger.Since 1988, we have designed 33 extra-territorial flaps on cervicothorac area. The flaps have survived well. Our present experiment provided the flap with theoretical evidence that an extraterritorial flap can be devised provided that there is abundant anastomosis between the two axial blood vessels.