Microvascular anastomosis in oral reconstructive surgery: a comparative study of recipient vessels between Japanese...

Specimens of recipient vessels were obtained from the oral and maxillofacial regions when carrying out microsurgery and the condition of the vascular wall was analyzed histopathologically. This study was performed in both Japan and Germany and the results were compared. A higher percentage and a more advanced abnormality of the recipient vessel seemed to exist in the German patients as compared to the Japanese patients. This difference could be due to the preoperative multimodal chemo- and radiotherapy more often applied in Germany and the higher incidences of systemic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes in the German population. The success rate of the surgery is, however, the same in both countries. It could be concluded that the viability of the flaps was not affected by preoperative damage to the recipient vessel.