Changes in blood flow in the epigastric free flap after microsurgical artery anastomoses in rats

A number of clinical disorders of free vascularized flap are presumed to re flect insufficient blood flow (BF) or an inadequate range of vascular respo nsiveness. We compared the changes in BF in a pedicled and free epigastric flap, directly after and 90 min after performing microsurgical artery anast omoses. We used the clamping method and laser Doppler flowmetry in six Spra gue-Dawley rats. The BF response curves shortly after re-anastomosing of th e artery differ markedly from those in a pedicled flap model and curves reg istered 90 min after performing the anastomosis. We conclude that the clamp ing method is reliable and reproducible when studying the short-term autore gulatory BF patterns of epigastric pedicled and free flaps.