Skin graft survival on avascular defects.

Full-thickness skin grafts placed on bare rabbit ear cartilage were revascularized, whereas split-skin grafts on the same kinds of areas failed. The contrast is most likely due to differences in the skin graft thickness and the vascular patterns in the grafts. Full-thickness rat skin grafts placed over the same sized underlying silicone sheet implants did not survive. When the graft was made 3 mm larger on all sides than the implant, all or a portion of the graft over the implant survived. Quantitation of the area of graft survival is presented. Prepared grafts (replaced on their donor areas for 48 hours) on prepared beds and fresh grafts on prepared beds had slightly larger areas of graft surviving over an avascular defect. On the basis of this investigation, we suggest that a full-thickness skin graft placed on a prepared peripheral bed may make possible the greatest area of bridging over an avascular defect.