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Quantitative regression analysis of the cutaneous vascular territories in a rat model

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Abstract

Background

The rat skin flap model has been widely used in experimental flap survival studies; however, most of these have been qualitative studies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the quantitative relationship between the diameter of a cutaneous artery and the area of skin that it supplies, and also to explore the factors that influence this relationship.

Methods

Thirty rats were injected with lead oxide and gelatin and then radiographed. Computer imaging of the diameter and the area of blood supply of the cutaneous artery were made to investigate the mathematical relationship between the arterial diameter and its perfusion area. Angiograms were assembled using Adobe Photoshop and analyzed with Scion Image and SPSS software.

Results

The blood vessels had an average diameter of 0.53 ± 0.12 mm, perimeter of 18.74 ± 4.84 cm, vascular density of 391.31 ± 76.58 gray value/pixel cm, vascular territory of 22.32 ± 10.04 cm2 and supplying volume of 4.88 ± 3.02 cm3. There was a positive correlation between the diameter and the perimeter of the vascular territory, and the area and volume of the vascular territory. The linear regression equation was y = 32.44x + 1.23 [y: nutrition region perimeter (cm), x: cutaneous artery diameter (mm)], y = 72.70x−15.93 [y: supplying area (cm2), x: cutaneous artery diameter (mm)] and y = 20.36x−5.83 [y: supplying volume (cm3), x: cutaneous artery diameter (mm)], respectively.

Conclusions

Based on this data, it is postulated that the size of reliable skin flaps can be calculated by the diameter and the distribution patterns of the cutaneous artery. With the same diameter, the area of the flap supplied by branch-style artery is larger than the one supplied by the axial artery.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC, 30871308) and the Department of Anatomy at Wenzhou Medical College for the financial support of this research project.

Conflict of interest

None of the authors have had any financial interest in any products, devices or drugs used in the manuscript. There is no conflict of interest related to any commercial associations or financial relationships (consultancy, stock ownership, equity interest, patent licensing arrangements or payments for conducting or publicizing the study contained in the manuscript).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou University-Town, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, China

    Youlun Tao, Siwang Hu, Koonhei W. Lui, Shaohe Chen, Maolin Tang & Shixin Chen

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  1. Youlun Tao
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  2. Siwang Hu
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  3. Koonhei W. Lui
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Correspondence to Shixin Chen.

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Tao, Y., Hu, S., Lui, K.W. et al. Quantitative regression analysis of the cutaneous vascular territories in a rat model. Surg Radiol Anat 33, 789–799 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-011-0809-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-011-0809-7

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