title: Experimental cutaneous free flap transfers in the horse.
abstract: Equine limb wounds often heal slowly by epithelialization, and large scars are a frequent end result. In some ways, they resemble the wound associated with human tibial injuries. The literature indicates that previous investigators have failed to transfer free skin flaps successfully in the horse. In this paper, we review our experimental work with the deep circumflex iliac flap in the horse. Dissections of 20 cadavers confirmed the anatomical consistency of the flap. Four flaps survived well when elevated as island flaps, but five orthotopic and nine heterotopic free flap transfers all failed. The cause of failure is still unknown, but our experiments suggested that the horse must be highly susceptible to ischemic reperfusion injury.
authors.affiliation: Division of Applied Veterinary Medicine, School of Veterinary Studies, Murdoch University, Western Australia.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Lees
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Fretz
authors.forename: C V
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Bowen
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Leach
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006085:Graft Survival; D006614:Hindlimb; D006736:Horses / Q000601:surgery*; D007511:Ischemia / Q000503:physiopathology; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply; D016038:Skin Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000379:methods*; D014945:Wound Healing