Experimental study of prefabricated flaps using vein grafts.

Prefabrication of a flap may represent a new alternative, not limited by natural vascular territories, for creating donor sites. Experimental procedures in which an A-V shunt results in sufficient flap neovascularization have been reported. This study was undertaken to investigate how neovascularization from the recipient bed affects survival of this type of flap. An 8-cm x 10-cm prefabricated skin flap, nourished by the left epigastric vein, was constructed in a rabbit abdomen. In half the models, a silicone sheet was placed under the flap, to impede neovascularization from the bed. The flaps of both experimental groups showed excellent viability, and no statistically significant difference in survival rate was recognized. This flap was found to be independent of the vascularity of the underlying bed.