title: Changes in area and thickness of expanded and unexpanded axial pattern skin flaps in pigs.
abstract: The pig buttock flap model was used firstly, to compare changes in expanded axial skin flap area with control flaps prior to flap elevation and 3 or 4 months post-flap inset and, secondly, to compare the thickness of expanded and control flaps at elevation and for 3 to 6 months post-flap inset. Following 5 weeks' expansion and prior to elevation, the expanded tissue had gained a significant 63.3% mean increase in area compared with the control tissue (p less than 0.01). Immediately post elevation and inset, the expanded flaps were still significantly larger than the control flaps by a mean 29.8% (p less than 0.01) but had lost 56% of the original area gained. Little change in area occurred in the 3 months post-flap inset as the expanded flaps were still a mean 23.4% larger than the control (p less than 0.01). Dermal and cellular non-keratinised epidermal layers thickened markedly in expanded skin compared to control skin. Following elevation and inset of the flaps, both dermis and epidermis thickened in expanded and control flaps.
authors.affiliation: Microsurgery Research Centre, St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Vanderkolk
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: McCann
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: O'Brien
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D013552:Swine; D013997:Time Factors