HARVESTING OF THE LATISSIMUS-DORSI MUSCLE - A SMALL ANIMAL-MODEL FOR SEROMA FORMATION

A common complication of soft tissue dissection and muscle harvesting is seroma formation. In order to manage and understand the formation o f seromas, we developed a small animal model for seromas in the Spragu e Dawley rat. Skin flaps and subcutaneous tissue were elevated and the latissimus dorsi muscle was harvested in 20 animals. Eighteen of the 20 rats (90%) formed clinically significant seromas. Sixteen animals h ad associated skin flap necrosis and 12 required serial drainage for r ecurrent seromas. At necropsy, gross capsular formation occurred in al l animals who developed seromas. Microscopically, a fibrous capsule en veloping the seroma was seen associated with a focal chronic inflammat ory cell infiltrate. We conclude: (1) Elevation of the latissimus dors i muscle in the rat is a reliable and practical animal model for serom a formation; (2) Sequelae of clinically significant seromas are often as severe as skin flap necrosis; (3) An inflammatory reaction may be a ssociated with seromas. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.