The value of preoperative imaging of perforator vasculature for planning perforator flaps

Abstract

Abstract: Perforator-based microsurgical reconstruction of the compound tissue defect has become the newest method in surgical reconstruction since the introduction of the technique in the late 1980s. Compared with conventional musculocutaneous flap, this approach decreases morbidity of donor site and complication, better preserves muscles. However, the major disadvantage of these flaps is that they can be difficult to harvest. The challenges in flap dissection are a result of the tiny diameter size of perforators and the location, number, and caliber which varies greatly from individuals. Preoperative imaging to assess vascular architecture is vital to improve the success rate, reduce the operative complication, and decrease operating time. The purpose of this article was to review the value of currently available imaging modalities for preoperative planning of perforator vascular architecture, which include hand-held Doppler, color duplex sonography, computer tomography angiography, magnetic resonance angiography and image-guided stereotactic navigation.

Key words: Perforator flap, Imaging, Vascular architecture

HUANG Jian, SUN Jian. The value of preoperative imaging of perforator vasculature for planning perforator flaps[J]. China Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 2014, 12(1): 82-86.

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