title: Techniques of postoperative blood flow monitoring after free tissue transfer: an overview.
abstract: Ever since free tissue transfer has been established in microsurgery, success rates have greatly improved over the years, partly due to improved technical performance of microvascular anastomoses with better optical and instrumental aids. However, flap failure still occurs in 5-10%, mainly due to blood vessel thrombosis within the first 24 postoperative hours. Salvation rates of failing free tissue transfers can be optimized by in-time diagnosis of irreversibly compromised tissue blood flow and immediate operative reexploration. Therefore, there is a special demand for adequate and reliable postoperative monitoring techniques. This article gives an overview of all monitoring techniques, which have been performed both in the experimental and clinical setting thus far.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Germany.
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Machens
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mailaender
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rieck
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berger
mesh_terms: D001831:Body Temperature; D017097:Electric Impedance; D005452:Fluoresceins; D006083:Graft Occlusion, Vascular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D006859:Hydrogen; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D010092:Oximetry; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010313:Partial Pressure; D017156:Photoplethysmography; D011182:Postoperative Care; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D016378:Tissue Transplantation / Q000502:physiology*; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler
chemical_list: D005452:Fluoresceins; D006859:Hydrogen; D010100:Oxygen