Briones R, Lineaweaver W C, Newlin L, Whitney T M, Buncke H J
Microsurgical Replantation Transplantation Department, Davies Medical Center, San Francisco, CA 94114.
Microsurgery. 1989;10(4):269-73. doi: 10.1002/micr.1920100404.
In the rat, the serratus anterior and latissimus dorsi muscles receive axial vascular pedicles from the thoracodorsal artery. This anatomy was confirmed by dissections, and 10 microvascular transfers of the latissimus-serratus flap on a common pedicle were performed with a 90% success rate. The flaps had an average weight of 1.8 g. This flap is a reliable small animal model for microvascular muscle transplants and contains sufficient tissue to be used in multiple biochemical assays.
