Viability and versatility of arterialized venous perfusion flaps and prefabricated flaps: an experimental study in rabbits

The purpose of this study was to investigate the viability of two types of unconventional flaps: 1) the arterialized venous perfusion (AVP) flap; and 2) the prefabricated flap. Four experimental groups were studied: an AVP flap group with assessment of the viability of single and paired flaps nourished by the same vascular pedicle; a prefabricated flap group with the abdominal flap pedicled on the epigastric artery and vein; a prefabricated flap group in which the flap was supplied by an arterialized vein graft (A-V shunt), and paired flaps of different designs, but based on the same vascular pedicle, were investigated; and a free composite graft group. Survival of the skin flaps exceeded 92 percent in each group, except in the free composite group which showed complete necrosis. Results of the study validated that flap viability was independent of flap size (large or small), type (AVP flap or prefabricated flap), and the number of flaps on each vascular pedicle (single or paired).