OBSERVATIONS ON EXPERIMENTAL FLOW-THROUGH VENOUS FLAPS

The aim of this work was to compare the survival of an arteriovenous i sland flap with the survival of an island flap with a flow-through ven ous supply. Our experimental studies were performed on 95 Wistar rats randomised into six groups: Group 1: Indian ink injection of flow-thro ugh venous flaps with capillary network; Group 2: control group depriv ed of vascularisation; Group 3: control group with arteriovenous suppl y; Group 4: flow-through venous flaps of group 1 ; Group 5: epigastric flow-through venous flaps with a main venous trunk; Group 6: histolog ical examination of flow-through venous flaps. The survival of flaps w as monitored by direct examination, histological examination, capillar oscopy, and laser Doppler. Three out of 50 flow-through venous flaps s urvived. There was a statistically significant difference in the delay of clinical necrosis between the composite non vascularised free graf ts (2.8 +/- 1.2 days) and the flow-through venous flaps (4.1 +/- 1.3 t o 4.9 +/- 1.1 days depending on the type of flap). A 20% decreased ven ous blood flow was observed in the flow-through venous flaps.