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The Superficial Inferior Epigastric Artery Axial Flap to Study Ischemic Preconditioning Effects in a Rat Model
Published on: January 27, 2023
Conditioning of myocutaneous flaps
Wolfgang Eichhorn1, Felix A S Blake, Philipp Pohlenz
1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, General Hospital Balingen, Balingen, Germany. w.u.e@t-online.de
Summary
The University of Wisconsin solution significantly improved the survival of myocutaneous flaps in pigs compared to Euro-Collins and Ringer-Lactate solutions. This finding is crucial for enhancing flap viability in clinical settings.
Area of Science:
- Surgical Research
- Tissue Engineering
- Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury
Background:
- Improving myocutaneous flap survival is critical in reconstructive surgery.
- Ischaemic tolerance of flaps remains a significant clinical challenge.
- Various preservation solutions are investigated to mitigate ischaemic damage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of University of Wisconsin (UW) solution, Euro-Collins (EC) solution, and Ringer-Lactate (RL) solution in preserving myocutaneous flaps.
- To assess the impact of these solutions on flap ischaemic tolerance in a preclinical model.
Main Methods:
- Twenty rectus abdominis myocutaneous flaps in pigs were used.
- Flaps were flushed with UW, EC, or RL solutions before 6 hours of normothermic ischaemia.
- Postoperative assessments included clinical evaluation, thermography, biopsies, and morphometric determination of necrosis.
Main Results:
- Flaps treated with UW solution showed 89% viability after 10 days.
- EC and RL solutions resulted in significantly lower flap viability (23% and 14%, respectively).
- Histological analysis indicated muscle tissue is more susceptible to ischaemia than skin.
Conclusions:
- UW solution demonstrated superior efficacy in preventing ischaemic injury to rectus abdominis myocutaneous flaps compared to EC and RL solutions.
- The findings support the use of UW solution for improved flap preservation.
- Muscle tissue's higher susceptibility to ischaemia was confirmed, aligning with existing literature.
