title: Salutary effects of radiopaque contrast media on the survival of random-pattern skin flaps in the rat: an experimental study.
abstract: The radiopaque contrast medium diatrizoate, has a vasodilator effect so that it is used in sudden-deafness secondary ischemic injury. However, ischemic problems are encountered, especially when longer flaps are elevated. A longer flap also has ischemic and relatively ischemic tissue, and may obtain some benefit from contrast media. Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats, weighing about 350-400 g, were used, and randomly divided into four groups (n = 10 rats each group): group 1 was the control, group 2 the diatrizoate, group 3 the iopamidol, and group 4 the iothalamate group. A rectangular 3 x 10 cm caudally based dorsal skin flap was elevated, and sutured back to its original place. In the control group, no pharmacologic agent was administered. Sodium-meglumine-diatrizoate 10 mg/kg/day was administered parenterally in the first experimental group (diatrizoate group); iopamidol 10 mg/kg/day in the second experimental group (iopamidol group); and iothalamate sodium 10 mg/kg/day in the third experimental group (iothalamate group) for 7 postoperative days. On postoperative day 7, all flaps were photographed, and the area of flap survival was measured by using a polar planimeter. The results were statistically evaluated with the Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney U-test (P = 0.05). The mean flap survival ranged from 79% in the iopamidol group to 83% in the diatrizoate group, and was significantly greater in all experimental groups (P < 0.05) compared to the control group (59%). There was no significant difference between experimental groups (P < 0.05). We believe that radiopaque contrast media have a beneficial effect in improving skin flap viability when distal flap necrosis is a potential complication of longer flaps.
authors.affiliation: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Dicle University Medical School, Diyarbakir, Turkey. iaskar@superonline.com
authors.forename: Ibrahim
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Askar
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bozkurt
authors.forename: M Faruk
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Oktay
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gürlek
authors.forename: Celalettin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Keles
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003973:Diatrizoate / Q000494:pharmacology; D007479:Iopamidol / Q000494:pharmacology; D007483:Iothalamic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D003973:Diatrizoate; D007483:Iothalamic Acid; D007479:Iopamidol