title: Noncontact diffuse optical assessment of blood flow changes in head and neck free tissue transfer flaps.
abstract: Knowledge of tissue blood flow (BF) changes after free tissue transfer may enable surgeons to predict the failure of flap thrombosis at an early stage. This study used our recently developed noncontact diffuse correlation spectroscopy to monitor dynamic BF changes in free flaps without getting in contact with the targeted tissue. Eight free flaps were elevated in patients with head and neck cancer; one of the flaps failed. Multiple BF measurements probing the transferred tissue were performed during and post the surgical operation. Postoperative BF values were normalized to the intraoperative baselines (assigning "1") for the calculation of relative BF change (rBF). The rBF changes over the seven successful flaps were 1.89 ± 0.15, 2.26 ± 0.13, and 2.43 ± 0.13 (mean ± standard error), respectively, on postoperative days 2, 4, and 7. These postoperative values were significantly higher than the intraoperative baseline values (p<0.001), indicating a gradual recovery of flap vascularity after the tissue transfer. By contrast, rBF changes observed from the unsuccessful flaps were 1.14 and 1.34, respectively, on postoperative days 2 and 4, indicating less flow recovery. Measurement of BF recovery after flap anastomosis holds the potential to act early to salvage ischemic flaps.
authors.affiliation: University of Kentucky, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 143 Graham Avenue, Lexington, Kentucky 40506, United States.
authors.forename: Chong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 800 Rose Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States.
authors.forename: Jeffrey P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Radabaugh
authors.affiliation: University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 800 Rose Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States.
authors.forename: Rony K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Aouad
authors.affiliation: University of Kentucky, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 143 Graham Avenue, Lexington, Kentucky 40506, United States.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 800 Rose Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States.
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Gal
authors.affiliation: University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 800 Rose Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States.
authors.forename: Amit B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 800 Rose Street, Lexington, Kentucky 40536, United States.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Valentino
authors.affiliation: University of Kentucky, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 143 Graham Avenue, Lexington, Kentucky 40506, United States.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shang
authors.affiliation: University of Kentucky, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 143 Graham Avenue, Lexington, Kentucky 40506, United States.
authors.forename: Guoqiang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D058752:Free Tissue Flaps / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000601:surgery; D006257:Head / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000601:surgery; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009333:Neck / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000601:surgery; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared / Q000379:methods*