title: Quantitative benefits provided by acute tissue expansion: a biomechanical study in human cadavers.
abstract: The aim of this study was to test the ex vivo biomechanical properties of acutely expanded cutaneous flaps to quantitatively assess the efficacy of intraoperative tissue expansion. A total of 14 fresh male cadavers were used for the study. In each cadaver, a rectangular (15 x 8 cm), proximally based flap was designed on each side of the body, in three different locations: lateral arm, anterior thorax, anterior thigh. In each cadaver, one randomly selected flap per each body region underwent acute-intermittent expansion, whereas the contralateral flap served as control. The biomechanical properties (stress/strain ratio, mean stiffness) of both expanded and control flaps were then assessed by means of a dynamometer and a force-transducer. The obtained data showed that the biomechanical benefits provided by acute tissue expansion were statistically different (P< 0.05) from those obtained by simple subcutaneous undermining. While no changes of length have been observed in the acutely expanded skin flaps as compared to control cutaneous flaps, a statistically significant gain in the compliance of the former has been recorded as compared to the biomechanical behaviour of the latter.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, National Institute for Cancer Research, University of Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Raposio
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cella
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Panarese
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Caregnato
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gualdi
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Santi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001132:Arm; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002102:Cadaver; D003187:Compliance; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000502:physiology*; D013848:Thigh; D013909:Thorax; D015626:Tissue Expansion; D016896:Treatment Outcome