Survival of full-thickness skin grafts over avascular defects.

The ability of full-thickness skin grafts to survive over avascular defects has been studied in rabbits. The size of a nonvascularized defect over which take occurs appears to have an absolute limit. If the graft is returned to its bed and an implant is inserted under the graft once it has become vascularized, the graft can be supported solely by the blood supply from the periphery of the graft over an implant of any size.