Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 16, 2025
The Arteriovenous AV Loop in a Small Animal Model to Study Angiogenesis and Vascularized Tissue Engineering
Published on: November 2, 2016
Autologous Arteriovenous Loop Graft Creation for Head and Neck Microsurgical Reconstruction: A Pictorial Essay
Shelby Kitchin1, Jake Whiteside2, Sabrina Mahanpour3
1Department of Orthopedic and Plastic Surgery, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton, Ohio, USA.
Background:
The arteriovenous (AV) loop is a versatile and reliable technique for establishing vascular access in head and neck free tissue reconstruction. This method is particularly advantageous in complex cases where conventional vascular access may be challenging.
Methods And Results:
In this pictorial essay, we present the pre-operative planning and patient selection factors for creating AV loops, and artist-illustrated drawings detailing our intraoperative technique. This work provides the surgeon a guide to perform and understand the procedure of harvesting a vein graft, creating a loop, and appropriately positioning it in preparation for microsurgical repair.
Conclusion:
The AV loop technique yields a reliable conduit, and its flexibility allows for complex free-flap reconstructions in challenging scenarios where vessels are not locally available or in situations where vessel length is inadequate.
