Microsurgical flap models in the rat

Microsurgical flaps have been widely used in clinical reconstructive surger y. Although these procedures have achieved great clinical success, utilizat ion of microsurgical flap techniques have also led to a number of basic que stions that researchers must now attempt to answer. The rat has been the so urce of many flap models in these investigations. This article provides a c ondensed description of the procedures, anatomic data, and research applica tions for skin, muscle, myocutaneous, bone, osteomuscular, and osteomyocuta neous microsurgical flap models in the rat.