Quadriceps femoris muscle flap: largest muscle flap model in the rat

The purpose of this paper is to present a new muscle flap in the rat: the quadriceps femoris muscle flap based on a pedicle consisting of the femoral vessels. In order to establish the anatomic details of this model, seven rats were explored bilaterally, and the regional anatomy of the thigh was examined. The technical aspect of the model was established by the unilateral harvesting of 18 quadriceps femoris muscles. Findings were that this muscle is primarily supplied by a muscular branch originating at the superficial circumflex iliac artery. The average muscle weight was 6 g and the average pedicle length with femoral vessels was 6 mm. Eight of the harvested flaps were transplanted to the contralateral thigh, and the pedicle was anastomosed to the femoral vessels. The other ten flaps were resutured back to their beds. At 72 hr postoperatively, all flaps were viable with the exception of one of the transplanted flaps which was found to be necrotic. The quadriceps femoris muscle flap is technically both a reliable and simple model. With an average weight of 6 g, this flap is by far the largest described in the rat, and offers a convenient model for testing flap-related techniques and outcomes.