The surgical delay procedure is an effective method for improving skin flap
survival. However, it has many disadvantages, such as bleeding, infection,
and pain. It also requires an additional operation and a long time for wou
nd management. Nonsurgical delay has a great importance, but pharmacologica
l efforts for delay phenomena have never found clinical application. In thi
s study, the authors attempted to reproduce the delay phenomena via the fla
shlamp pumped dye laser. Forty Sprague-Dawley rats were studied in four gro
ups of 10 rats each. The experimental and control flaps were on the same ra
t. Flaps were planned on the ventral skin of the rats, and were symmetrical
, three sided, based caudally, and were 2 cm in width, extended to the meas
ured midpoint between the xiphoid and the sternal notch. The laser was appl
ied to the different areas of the experimental flaps 15 days before flap el
evation. A week later flap survival was determined by overlaying millimeter
-grid acetate paper. Full-surface and perimeter "lased" experimental flaps
showed a marked increase in surviving areas when compared with the control
flaps. This kind of flap delay has a great potential in clinic application.