Topical administration of prostaglandin E1 with iontophoresis for skin flap viability.

This study was performed to investigate the capability of iontophoretic delivery of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) and the effect of this treatment on the viability of skin flaps on the rat dorsum model as described by Hammond and Ronald in 1993. The PGE1 level in the tissue sample under the electrode was assessed with radioimmunoassay. The iontophoretic treatment (for 20 minutes at 4 mA) with PGE1 solution (20 micrograms PGE1 in 2 ml saline) showed a significant increase of PGE1 in the flap tissue under the negative electrode (p < 0.05). Very little increase was observed after the iontophoresis of saline alone. This was not statistically significant. Iontophoretic treatment was given for 5 consecutive days following flap elevation. The survival area on the seventh postoperative day was significantly greater in the PGE1-treated flaps than that of either the control or saline-treated flaps. These results confirm the beneficial effect of iontophoretic treatment with PGE1 on the augmentation of skin flap viability.