title: Dorsal bipedicled island skin flap: a new flap model in mice.
abstract: Mice are popular animals for biomedical studies, but few skin flap models have been reported in them. To investigate the ischaemia/reperfusion phenomenon in skin flaps, we first investigated the vascular anatomy of murine dorsal skin and then designed a suitable murine dorsal skin flap model. In 120 mice, six distinct vascular patterns were identified, one being seen in 111 mice (93%). Based on this finding, in Part 2 of the study, 15 mice had flaps (4 x 4 cm) raised based on the two caudal vascular pedicles of the left and right deep circumflex iliac vessels as a bipedicled flap in which the mean (SD) survival was 96 (5)%. In a further 10 mice, flaps were raised based on a single pedicle, the left deep circumflex iliac vessel, as a monopedicled flap, in which the mean (SD) survival was 71 (12)%. The bipedicled flap model was then used to study ischaemia/reperfusion injury. Twenty flaps were subjected to eight hours of ischaemia and subsequent reperfusion, and their mean (SD) survival was 43 (26)%. Histological assessments were also carried out using neutrophil and leucocyte counts, and significant differences between groups were observed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Biomedical Engineering, University of Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Trinh Cao
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Minh
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ichioka
authors.forename: Kiyonori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Harii
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shibata
authors.forename: Joji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ando
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakatsuka
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000502:physiology*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D008833:Microcirculation; D023421:Models, Animal; D009336:Necrosis; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000502:physiology; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology*