EVALUATION OF ANGIOGENESIS IN DELAYED SKIN FLAPS USING A MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODY FOR THE VASCULAR ENDOTHELIUM

The angiogenic process in delayed and undelayed flaps was evaluated in relation to different periods of delay (6 h, 72 h and 7 days) and at different times after the definitive elevation of the flaps (48 h, 96 h and 7 days). An immunohistochemical method has been tested to stain the endothelial cells of capillaries and venules, providing a high spe cificity for labelling these vessels. No signs of angiogenesis were fo und in undelayed and 6-h delayed flaps at 48 h but there was an increa se of capillaries from 48 h to 7 days after elevation of the flaps. Th e 72-h and 7-day delayed flaps showed signs of angiogenesis at 48 h an d the capillary development went on increasing to the 7th day after de finitive flap elevation (p < 0.05), The surviving lengths of these gro ups of flaps were higher than the control and 6-h delayed flaps (p < 0 .05). These results indicate that an angiogenic process can be implica ted in the physiology of the delay phenomenon.