Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 7, 2026

An Experimental Human DIEP Flap Model to Investigate Preservation Strategies for Vascularized Composite Allografts and Free Flaps

An Experimental Human DIEP Flap Model to Investigate Preservation Strategies for Vascularized Composite Allografts and Free Flaps

Published on: December 5, 2025

Zonal perfusion patterns in pedicled free-style perforator flaps.

Ulrich Kneser¹, Justus P Beier², Marweh Schmitz²

¹Department of Plastic and Hand Surgery, University Hospital of Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen - Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany; Department of Hand, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery - Burn Center, BG Trauma Center Ludwigshafen, Germany; Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.

Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery : JPRAS

|October 5, 2013

Summary

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Lighting Up the Dark: Indocyanine Green Angiography for Assessing Free Flap Autonomization After Late Arteriovenous Loop Thrombosis.

Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open·2026

Same author

Entirely Robotic-assisted Microsurgical Anastomoses in Autologous Breast Reconstruction.

Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open·2026

Same author

Vascular considerations in autologous breast reconstruction using DIEP or MS-TRAM flaps: standard techniques, alternatives, and rescue strategies.

Innovative surgical sciences·2026

Same author

High-Dose Intravenous Vitamin C and Mortality and Organ Dysfunction in Severe Burn Injury: The VICTORY Randomized Clinical Trial.

JAMA·2026

Same author

Nerve Assessment Index: A New Rating Tool for Peripheral Nerve Coaptations in Sharp Nerve Transections.

Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open·2026

Same author

Operative timing and surgical complexity in hand trauma: a multicenter analysis of replantation and non-replantation centers in Germany.

Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery·2026

Local perforator flaps show initial perfusion gradients but improve over time. Combined laser Doppler spectrophotometry (CLDS) effectively monitors these perfusion changes in reconstructive surgery.

Area of Science:

Plastic Surgery
Microsurgery
Vascular Surgery

Background:

Local perforator flaps are standard in reconstructive surgery, enabling large tissue transfer with minimal donor-site morbidity.
Clinical data on the temporal changes in perforator flap perfusion remain limited.
Investigating flap perfusion dynamics is crucial for optimizing surgical outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate the perfusion dynamics of free-style single perforator flaps with eccentric perforators.
To assess the utility of combined laser Doppler spectrophotometry (CLDS) in monitoring flap perfusion over time.
To understand the vascular changes influencing flap survival.

Main Methods:

A prospective clinical study involving ten patients undergoing free-style single perforator flap reconstruction.

Keywords:

Combined laser Doppler spectrophotometry (CLDS)Flap perfusion Perforator flap Propeller flap

More Related Videos

In situ Transverse Rectus Abdominis Myocutaneous Flap: A Rat Model of Myocutaneous Ischemia Reperfusion Injury

In situ Transverse Rectus Abdominis Myocutaneous Flap: A Rat Model of Myocutaneous Ischemia Reperfusion Injury

Published on: June 8, 2013

Procurement and Perfusion-Decellularization of Porcine Vascularized Flaps in a Customized Perfusion Bioreactor

Procurement and Perfusion-Decellularization of Porcine Vascularized Flaps in a Customized Perfusion Bioreactor

Published on: August 1, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 7, 2026

An Experimental Human DIEP Flap Model to Investigate Preservation Strategies for Vascularized Composite Allografts and Free Flaps

An Experimental Human DIEP Flap Model to Investigate Preservation Strategies for Vascularized Composite Allografts and Free Flaps

Published on: December 5, 2025

In situ Transverse Rectus Abdominis Myocutaneous Flap: A Rat Model of Myocutaneous Ischemia Reperfusion Injury

In situ Transverse Rectus Abdominis Myocutaneous Flap: A Rat Model of Myocutaneous Ischemia Reperfusion Injury

Published on: June 8, 2013

Procurement and Perfusion-Decellularization of Porcine Vascularized Flaps in a Customized Perfusion Bioreactor

Procurement and Perfusion-Decellularization of Porcine Vascularized Flaps in a Customized Perfusion Bioreactor

Published on: August 1, 2022

Flaps were based on a single perforator and harvested from the trunk or proximal extremities.

Perfusion was assessed using a combined laser Doppler spectrophotometry (CLDS) device at days 0, 1, 7, and 14.

Main Results:

Eight out of ten flaps survived completely, with two experiencing minor tip necrosis.
CLDS detected significant perfusion gradients, with reduced blood flow and oxygen saturation at the flap tip compared to the region above the main perforator (RAMP) on days 0 and 1.
Flap tip perfusion significantly improved between days 1 and 14, while proximal perfusion remained stable.

Conclusions:

Combined laser Doppler spectrophotometry (CLDS) is a sensitive and objective tool for evaluating flap perfusion.
Despite initial distal perfusion deficits, eccentric perforator flaps demonstrate robust survival, likely due to vascular reorganization.
Understanding these perfusion dynamics can guide surgical decision-making in perforator flap procedures.