强脉冲光脱除移植皮肤上毛发的临床效果观察

目的 观察强脉冲光脱除移植皮肤上无需的毛发的临床效果.方法 应用ELITEplus强脉冲光脱毛系统脱除移植皮肤上无需的毛发,一般需3～5次治疗,每次间隔2个月,其治疗参数为波长610～1 000 nm,光斑面积50 mm×10 mm,分脉宽5 ms,延时2～20 ms,能量密度30～38.3J/cm2.结果 10例患者均能耐受治疗,无需麻醉.经3～5次治疗,毛发基本完全脱落.治疗后无需包扎,常规洗浴.无水泡、感染、色素沉着及瘢痕形成等并发症.随访6～12个月,只有少许毳毛再生.结论 强脉冲光脱毛系统脱除移植皮肤上无需的毛发,疗效可靠,操作简单,治疗速度快,无并发症发生,是一种比较理想的脱毛方法.     

Side-Effects After IPL Photodepilation

BACKGROUND: Intense pulsed light (IPL) has been successfully used as an efficient hair removal system; however, possible side-effects have been not specifically addressed in the literature. OBJECTIVE: To assess all possible side-effects after IPL hair removal in a series of 49 females with facial hirsutism during a total of 390 treatment sessions of IPL photodepilation. METHODS: Immediate post-treatment clinical, photography evaluation, and a two-month post-treatment questionnaire were done in 49 females with facial hirsutism submitted to photodepilation with an IPL source (EpiLight trade mark, ESC, Israel). RESULTS: Side-effects observed were: transient erythema (n = 30), late evanescent erythema (n = 3), mild pain (n = 43), moderate pain (n = 6), crust formation (n = 9), superficial burning (n = 1), isolated vesicles (n = 3), transient hyperpigmentation (n = 8), transient hypopigmentation (n = 1), paradoxical effect (n = 5), persistent local heat sensation (n = 1), and minimal scar (n = 1). CONCLUSION: Even though common, most side-effects secondary to IPL photodepilation are mild and transient. Permanent side-effects such as scars are unlikely but they may occur. Growth of new, fine and dark hair may be seen in untreated areas in close proximity to the treatment area, especially in the neck, a side-effect that is reported for the first time in the literature.     

鼻再造术中衬里组织的修复方法

目的探讨鼻再造术中衬里组织的修复方法。方法根据局部组织条件,应用局部翻转皮瓣、口腔黏膜瓣、鼻唇沟皮瓣和预构皮瓣等方法,对24例鼻缺损患者的鼻衬里进行了修复,并转移额部皮瓣和移植自体肋软骨行鼻再造术。术后通过6-34个月的随访,以了解鼻腔衬里组织的情况,如挛缩、破溃等,评价各方法的疗效。结果本组17例采用局部翻转皮肤、瘢痕作为鼻腔衬里,1例采用口腔黏膜瓣,5例采用局部皮瓣,1例采用预构皮瓣重建衬里。再造鼻额部皮瓣及衬里皮瓣均存活,外形逼真,仅瘢痕瓣通气不良。结论在鼻再造术中,正确评估鼻部缺损范围、程度及鼻周残留组织量,选择适当的衬里修复手术方案,可收到良好的手术效果。预构皮瓣可以很好地修复复杂鼻缺损的衬里。     

Experience with vaginoplasty.

We did 27 vaginoplasties (7 gracilis musculocutaneous flaps, 8 pudendal thigh flaps, 12 full-thickness skin grafts) during the period 1994-2000. The preoperative assessment and postoperative follow up were done in collaboration with the gynaecologists. All patients had vaginal agenesis. With the gracilis flaps we found it difficult to achieve an adequate blood supply. With pudendal thigh flaps we achieved perfect innervation and a good contour, but they did tend to be hairy. With full-thickness skin grafts the innervation was not perfect, but the contour was good. Having compared the three operations during a follow up period ranging from 1-5 years we think that the full-thickness skin graft gives the best results.     

Epidermal Cooling Crystal Collar Device for Improved Results and Reduced Side Effects on Leg Telangiectasias Using Intense Pulsed Light

BACKGROUND: Intense pulsed light (IPL), utilizing noncoherent yellow, red, and near-infrared wavelengths can be used to treat telangiectasias. In order to circumvent epidermal heating and allow greater fluence to be delivered safely, a new device that circulates water around the IPL crystal in contact with the skin to provide continuous cooling at 1 degrees C-4 degrees C range was developed. OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of contact cooling on IPL treatment of leg telangiectasias. METHODS: A total of 25 patients were treated using two similar sites of matted telangiectasias on the leg, one site was treated without epidermal cooling and the other with the epidermal cooling crystal collar device. Results were evaluated by comparison with pretreatment photographs at 1 month. At one treatment center, a crossover was performed at the 1-month visit in which the non-E3C site was treated by cooling. Parameters consisted of a 570 nm filter, coupled pulses of 2-2.5 msec/6-7 msec with a 10-msec delay with fluences of 38-40 J. On the site receiving contact cooling the fluence was increased by 10% (4 J/mm2). Sites were graded worse, unchanged, or improved (RAW) or on a numerical scale of 1-4 (NSS). RESULTS: Compared to the contact cooling sites, uncooled sites showed 7 were improved, 5 were unchanged, and 3 were worsened, but cooled sites showed 10 were improved, 5 were unchanged, and none were worsened (P<.05). The grading scale on 10 patients revealed a mean improvement of 1.7 for noncooled sites and 2.7 for cooled sites (P<.001). For crossover treatment, eight noncooled sites (unchanged or worsened) were subsequently treated with cooling, demonstrating six improved (P<.001) and two with no change. Less erythema and edema was noted at all cooled sites. Furthermore, pain was significantly reduced with cooling (P<.003). Epidermal injury involving hyper- or hypopigmentation, crusting, or vesiculation was not observed in any of the cooled sites, but was recorded in three of the noncooled sites. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that continuous epidermal cooling with IPL allows delivery of higher fluences with less pain and fewer side effects. Efficacy is significantly improved using the coupled short pulse/long pulse protocol. An additional benefit is that IPL treatment becomes less operator dependent because the chilled crystal may be placed directly in contact with the skin.     

Innervation of skin grafts over free muscle flaps.

Skin grafts regain their sensory innervation from the graft bed by the regeneration of nerve endings. Although some clinical studies report sensory recovery in skin grafts implanted on free muscle flaps, the mechanism of recovery is obscure. The purpose of this study was to investigate nerve regeneration in experimental skin grafts on free muscle flaps to elucidate this phenomenon. Thirty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats, weighing 450-550 g were used in the study. The rat gracilis muscle flap was the free flap model transferred from one groin to the other using microvascular anastomoses. Full-thickness skin grafts harvested from the abdomen were used to cover the free muscle flaps after transfer. Four study groups were formed: Group I (n = 10): Free muscle flaps were transferred without any nerve anastomosis; Group II (n = 10): Free flaps transferred with the anastomosis of the muscle's motor nerve to a sensory nerve at the recipient site; Group III (n = 10): Free flaps transferred with the anastomosis of the muscle's motor nerve to a motor nerve at the recipient site; Group IV (n = 8): Skin grafts were placed directly on the fascia layer over the medial hindlimb muscles and served as controls. The specimens were harvested for histologic examination after 12 weeks. Histologic examination was performed to visualise regenerating nerve endings using H&E, S100, Luxol Fast Blue and tyrosine hydroxylase staining. The specimens were categorically scored according to the staining pattern of neural structures around pilosebaceous units and statistical comparisons were performed by using paired t-test. Skin grafts in both Group II and Group III markedly received tyrosine hydroxylase at the base of their pilosebaceous units in many of the specimens and functional nerve twigs could also be traced from the muscle layer to the overlying skin graft. In contrast, the skin grafts in Group I did not show any nerve function in the central parts. The overall staining scores of Groups II, III and IV were significantly higher than Group I (P < 0.05; P < 0.001; P < 0.05, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference between other groups. No myelinated nerve fibres could be detected in any of the skin grafts with Luxol Fast Blue technique. It was concluded in the present study that skin grafts over reinnervated free muscle flaps can develop significantly better innervation than skin grafts over non-innervated muscle flaps. However, the activity in skin appendages indicating nerve regeneration may only imply a gross sensation and in the absence of any myelinated nerve fibres transmission of finer sensation cannot be expected in any of the study groups.     

强脉冲光治疗面部植皮术后色素沉着和毛发过多

目的：观察强脉冲光（Intensepulsedlight,IPL）治疗植皮术后色素沉着和毛发过多的临床应用效果。方法：应用IPL治疗植皮术后色素沉着9例,全厚皮片移植术后色素沉着合并毛发过多2例,共11例。患者接受1～3次IPL去色素治疗,毛发过多者另接受3次IPL脱毛治疗。结果：11例患者治疗后色素沉着均出现不同程度好转,其中7例显效,4例有效,副反应轻微。2例毛发过多者治疗后毛发显著减少。结论：IPL是一种安全有效的治疗植皮术后色素沉着和毛发过多的方法。     

改良前额旁正中皮瓣在鼻缺损修复和再造中的临床应用

目的 探讨携带少量额肌的前额旁正中皮瓣行鼻缺损修复和鼻再造术的可行性和临床意义.方法 采用仅蒂部携带额肌的改良旁正中皮瓣法,完成2例鼻再造和7例鼻缺损修复术.除眶上区的蒂部携带少量额肌外,皮瓣获取均在皮下层次.皮瓣的轴线角度从垂直90°到倾斜50°不等,其中3例低发际线患者,采用倒L形设计.结果 一期皮瓣形成和二期皮瓣断蒂术中,观察到长距离行走皮下脂肪层的滑车上血管皮支的存在,以及良好的动脉灌注压.8例皮瓣全部成活,皮瓣质地和色泽良好.采用皮下蒂法1例术后皮瓣周边血运障碍,经换药自愈.结论 滑车上血管皮支的存在是改良旁正中皮瓣应用的解剖学基础.仅蒂部携带少量额肌的旁正中皮瓣具有设计较灵活,成活良好,质地合适,皮肤颜色匹配,以及供区损伤更小等优点.采用改良旁正中皮瓣行鼻再造或鼻缺损修复,能满足血运和形态的双重要求.     

Hair removal using intense pulsed light (EpiLight): patient satisfaction, our experience, and literature review

Applications for intense pulsed light (IPL) for hair removal are gaining favor among other methods, including lasers, because of its noninvasive nature, versatility regarding different skin and hair types, safety, and ease of use. Hair removal using IPL was performed from January 2002 to December 2003 on 108 consecutive patients. Eighty of these patients answered a questionnaire and were enrolled in the study group. The investigated parameters were hair and skin type, number of pulses, fluence, pulse duration, pulse delay, the filters used, and the treated area. The patient assessment of improvement (satisfaction) rate was graded from 1 to 5 points: 1, worse; 2, no improvement; 3, mild improvement; 4, good result; and 5, excellent result. The patients had between 1 and 13 treatments most of them during 2 to 6 sessions. Sixty-seven percent of the patients reported no complications. Prolonged erythema for more than 7 days was reported by 16.25%, blisters by 6.25%, temporary hyperpigmentation by 8.75%, leukotrichia was present in 1 case, and 1 case of persistent hypopigmentation was noted in a young girl. An increased number of complications and a decreased satisfaction rate were noted with higher skin types, but it was not statistically significant. Patients who underwent fewer treatments (1-3 treatments) were more satisfied compared with those who had more than 7 treatments (P < 0.02). Sixty percent of the patients rated their satisfaction to be good to excellent and 65% would ill recommend this treatment to their friends. To minimize the complication rate the authors found that the preset parameters should be adjusted at every treatment session according to the skin response at the previous one. Permanent hair removal cannot be guaranteed and it is not possible to predict the improvement rate. Nevertheless, based on patient satisfaction rate in this study, the authors recommend using IPL for hair removal.     

Beauty of skin-grafted free muscle flaps in head and neck reconstruction

In the era of perforator flaps, muscle flaps might seem "out of fashion" for use in microvascular reconstructions. In this presentation, the advantages of pure muscle flaps covered with full-thickness (FTSG) or split-thickness (STSG) skin grafts employed in certain head and neck reconstructions shall be demonstrated. The free vastus lateralis muscle flap (n = 13) and latissimus dorsi flap (n = 1), covered with either FTSG (n = 8) or STSG (n = 6), were used for major head and neck reconstructions in a total of 13 patients. There was no revision, no partial flap necrosis, and no flap loss. All skin grafts healed in. After initial swelling, all flaps developed an adequate form according to the respective skin level, with adequate texture and color match. This was especially the case when FTSG was used. No cosmetic corrections were necessary. Donor-site morbidity was negligible. In conclusion, a free muscle flap covered with FTSG is a safe and fast reconstruction that provides good cosmetic and functional results, combined with negligible donor-site morbidity.     

额部扩张皮瓣半鼻再造术

目的：介绍应用额部扩张皮瓣进行半鼻再造的体会。方法：总结9例采用扩张后的额部皮瓣转移后作为再造鼻的皮肤覆盖,局部翻转皮瓣作为鼻腔衬里,移植肋软骨或耳甲软骨重建鼻支持组织的手术方法。结果：9例中8例获得满意效果,再造半鼻与健侧基本对称。1例额部扩张皮瓣远端淤血坏死。结论：应用额部扩张皮瓣进行半鼻再造是可行的。     

修复霜促进激光/强脉冲光术后皮肤修复的临床观察

目的:观察修复霜对激光及强脉冲光照射处皮肤的修复作用。方法:用Q开关掺钕钇铝石榴石激光、半导体激光、红宝石激光和强脉冲光依次照射40名健康受试者双前臂屈侧皮肤,分别涂抹修复霜或安慰剂。于照射前、后,肉眼观察局部皮肤反应,用窄谱反射分光光度计检测黑素指数及红斑指数。结果:半导体激光和强脉冲光照射后局部皮肤仅出现轻微红斑,无色素沉着,除个别时间点外,双侧皮肤黑素指数及红斑指数差别不大;而Q开关掺钕钇铝石榴石激光和红宝石激光照射后,对照侧局部皮肤出现明显的红斑、轻微的水肿及炎症后色素沉着,治疗侧程度轻于对照侧,且较快消退,于术后7天及21天测得黑素指数及红斑指数均低于对照侧。结论:修复霜有利于减轻激光及强脉冲光术后红斑及色素沉着。     

Hair removal with a non-coherent filtered flashlamp intense pulsed light source

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects on disruption of hair growth of the non-coherent filtered flashlamp intense pulsed light (IPL) source. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-eight sites on 23 patients with Fitzpatrick type I-III were enrolled using a single treatment IPL followed for three months post-treatment. Another 56 on 48 patients with Fitzpatrick skin types I-V randomly enrolled for two treatments one month apart and followed for six months. STUDY DESIGN: Prior to beginning treatment and at each follow-up visit hair counts were obtained by averaging three 1-cm2 areas on a clear acetate template placed over the skin. Repeat hair counts and photographs were obtained at 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks for the single treatment protocol and at additional 4, 5, and 6 months for the double treatment protocol. Parameters utilized were a 2.8-3.2 millisecond pulse duration typically for three pulses with thermal relaxation intervals of 20-30 milliseconds with a total fluence of 40-42 J/cm2. RESULTS: For the double treatment protocol hair clearance of 64% was achieved immediately following the second treatment. By week 8 reduction of hair counts was 42%. At 6 months, hair counts were reduced by 33%. CONCLUSIONS: Non-coherent IPL is an effective modality for long-term hair removal. IPL is safe with minimal side effects of epidermal injury or pigmentation change.     

Intense Pulsed Light for the Treatment of Facial Freckles in Asian Skin

BACKGROUND: Freckles are melanotic lesions frequently seen on the face and other sun-exposed areas. Previously evaluation of the severity of freckles has relied on the ultimately subjective assessment of the doctor or patient. Intense pulsed light (IPL) is newly introduced to treat facial freckles in Asian skin. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of IPL treatment for Asian patients with freckled skin and to assess a new and objective method for evaluation of the severity of freckling and posttherapy improvement using an ultraviolet (UV)-sensitive camera and film. METHODS: Thirty-six patients with freckles were enlisted. IPL treatment was administered to patients with freckles in 4-week sessions. Irradiation wavelength was controlled using cutoff filters ranging from 550 to 590 nm, with a fluence of 25-35 J/cm2, with single- or double-pulse illumination and a pulse width of 4.0 msec. The assessments of the physician and patient were compared with the objective dermatologic evaluation with black-and-white and UV photography used to derive two treatment parameters, cosmetic density of freckles (CDF) and freckles area and severity index (FASI), which are applicable in a clinical setting. RESULTS: By the end of the study, two attending physicians assessed the results for 86.1% of the subjects as excellent or good, with 91.7% of the patients reporting that they were extremely or very satisfied. A statistically significant improvement in mean FASI score was demonstrated at 6 months after treatment compared with baseline (n = 36, p <.005; paired t-test). Mean overall improvement rate (n = 36), as determined from the difference in mean FASI score, was 63% at 12 weeks and 58% at 6 months. CONCLUSION: IPL is an effective and safe treatment for facial freckles in Asian skin, with relatively few adverse effects and high satisfaction levels.     

The full-thickness forehead flap for complex nasal defects: a preliminary study.

OBJECTIVE: To report a new technique using a bivalved, full-thickness paramedian forehead flap. The unique vascular anatomy of the supratrochlear artery allows the skin and subcutaneous tissue to be separated from the frontalis muscle and pericranium. The deep layers serve as a pliable, vascularized intranasal lining. Bone and cartilage grafts can be placed as "sandwich" grafts between the deep and superficial layers of the flap. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective review of 5 cases. RESULTS: All flaps survived. Four minor complications occurred in 3 patients. These resolved with minimal treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The full-thickness forehead flap is a viable option for large defects or for the difficult situation in which intranasal local flaps are not an option. SIGNIFICANCE: The gold standard for replacement of the intranasal lining is a septal mucosal or vestibular local flap. The full-thickness forehead flap is an option in patients for whom other lining flaps are not available. EBM rating: C-3.     

Facial photo rejuvenation using two different intense pulsed light (IPL) wavelength bands

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Intense pulsed light (IPL) systems are increasingly used for treatment of photo damaged skin. In the present study, we investigated the clinical efficacy and safety of two different wavelength bands generated by the same IPL device. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS: An IPL device was equipped with either a 555-950 nm filter (VL), or a 530-750 nm filter (PR). RESULTS: Fair, good or excellent clearance of visible telangiectasias was obtained in 81.8% of the patients (PR) and in 58.8% (VL). In the treatment of diffuse erythema, fair, good or excellent clearance was obtained in 72.7% (PR) and in 35.0% (VL). The PR filter was more efficient (P = 0.025) in reduction of diffuse erythema. The average number of treatments was 1.75 (PR) and 1.82 (VL). For the treatment of irregular pigmentation, fair, good or excellent clearance was obtained in 54.5% (PR) and in 61.9% (VL). Multiple treatments of irregular pigmentation were also evaluated. Using the VL filter more than two treatments did not induce further clinical improvement. The patients also scored their over-all satisfaction. Either fair, good or excellent results were reported by 66.7% (PR) and by 76.2% (VL). No skin atrophy, scarring or pigment disturbances were noted after the treatments. Swelling and erythema were registered by 2/3 (PR) and 1/3 (VL) of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: The two IPL wavelength bands were both found to be effective in the treatment of photo damaged facial skin. The clinical efficacy and safety of the two different treatment procedures were comparable to those reported in earlier studies, and finally treatment with these filter combinations required less than half the fluence, no active cooling and fewer treatments.     

Long-pulsed dye laser versus intense pulsed light for photodamaged skin: a randomized split-face trial with blinded response evaluation

OBJECTIVE: In a randomized controlled split-face trial to evaluate efficacy and adverse effects from rejuvenation with long-pulsed dye laser (LPDL) versus intense pulsed light (IPL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty female volunteers with Fitzpatrick skin types I-III, classes I-II rhytids, and symmetrical split-face photodamage were included in the study. Subjects received a series of three treatments at 3-week intervals with half-face LPDL (V-beam Perfecta, 595 nm, Candela Laser Corporation) and half-face IPL (Ellipse Flex, Danish Dermatologic Development); the interventions being randomly assigned to left and right sides. Primary end-points were telangiectasias, irregular pigmentation and preferred treatment. Secondary end-points were skin texture, rhytids, pain, and adverse effects. Efficacy was evaluated by patient self-assessments and by blinded clinical on-site and photographic evaluations at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively. Adverse effects were evaluated by blinded clinical on-site evaluations. RESULTS: Telangiectasia improved from LPDL and IPL treatments with superior vessel clearance from LPDL treatments (postoperative side-to-side evaluations, patient self-assessments, P相似文献   

The Use of Hybrid Radiofrequency Device for the Treatment of Rhytides and Lax Skin

BACKGROUND: Recently, radiofrequency (RF) devices have been introduced and commercialized for nonablative procedures in dermatology and plastic surgery for the treatment of age-related rhytides and lax skin. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to assess the efficacy and safety of a novel RF device (Accent, Alma Lasers, Ltd, Caesarea, Israel) for the treatment of rhytides and lax skin. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Sixteen female patients (age range, 29-66 years; mean, 47+/-6 years; skin phototypes II to IV) were treated with Accent system. Patients were treated on the chin (n=5), forehead (n=8), cheeks (n=12), jowl lines (n=9), periorbital area (n=7), marionette line (n=3), and nasolabial folds (n=6) for wrinkles (n=27 cases) and skin laxity (n=23 cases). Patients received two to six treatments (mean, 4.3+/-1.1), with the time interval of 2 to 3 weeks. Photographs were assessed 1 month after the last treatment. RESULTS For wrinkles and skin laxity, in 5 patients (42%), the cheeks (n=12) scored 51% to 75% (significant improvement), and 2 patients (17%), 76% to 100% (excellent improvement). For the jowl lines (n=9), 4 patients (44%) scored 51% to 75% (significant improvement), and 1 patient scored 76% to 100% (excellent improvement) for lax skin. For wrinkles on the periorbital (n=7) and forehead areas (n=8), three patients (37%) scored 51% to 75% (significant improvement). CONCLUSION: The Accent system is an effective and safe modality for the improvement of age-related rhytides and lax skin.     

Ablative versus non-ablative treatment of perioral rhytides. A randomized controlled trial with long-term blinded clinical evaluations and non-invasive measurements

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To compare efficacy and side effects of CO(2) laser resurfacing and intense pulsed light (IPL) rejuvenation for treatment of perioral rhytides. METHODS: Twenty-seven female subjects with perioral rhytides (class I-III) were randomly treated with either CO(2) laser or IPL (three monthly treatments). Efficacy was evaluated by patient self-assessments and blinded photographs up to 12 months postoperatively. Side effects were assessed clinically. Non-invasive measurements included: trans epidermal water loss (TEWL), skin reflectance, skin elasticity, and ultrasound. RESULTS: CO(2) laser resurfacing resulted in higher degrees of patient satisfaction and clinical rhytide reduction compared to IPL rejuvenation up to 12 months postoperatively (patient evaluations, P < 0.05) (observer evaluations, P < 0.008). Laser-induced side effects included erythema, dyspigmentation, and milia whereas no side effects were observed after IPL rejuvenation. Non-invasive measurements showed a significant higher reduction of the subepidermal low-echogenic band in CO(2) laser treated areas versus IPL treated areas (12 months postoperatively, P < 0.001). Skin elasticity (expressed as Young's modulus) increased in both groups (P = ns). One month postoperatively a significant increase in TEWL values (P < 0.009) and skin redness% (P < 0.02) was found in CO(2) laser treated patients versus IPL treated patients. No significant differences were seen in skin pigmentation% during the observation period. CONCLUSION: CO(2) laser resurfacing induces a significantly higher degree of clinical rhytide reduction followed by considerably more side effects compared to IPL rejuvenation in a homogeneous group of patients.     

Biochemical analysis of the venous flap in the dog.

There has been great interest stimulated by reports on factors influencing the survival of skin flaps which possess only venous inflow and outflow, i.e., venous flaps. The present study serially (Days 1, 2, and 4 postoperatively) observed several biochemical factors which might affect flap survival. ATP levels were measured to assess endogenous energy stores, malonyldialdehyde (MDA) and xanthine oxidase (XO) to estimate free radical production, superoxide dismutase (SOD) to quantify antioxidant defenses, and edema to measure inflammatory changes. Eighteen thighs on nine dogs were assigned randomly to one of three groups: full-thickness skin grafts, flaps based solely on the saphenous artery and vein (AV flaps), or flaps based solely on the saphenous vein (venous flaps). These were regarded as being mostly ischemic, totally perfused, and partially ischemic, respectively. Control skin biopsies were obtained adjacent to surgical sites. AV flaps and control skin were similar in all respects. Venous flaps compared with skin grafts were significantly less edematous (P less than 0.01) had less MDA and XO (P less than 0.05), but no significant differences in SOD and ATP levels. However venous flaps had significantly less ATP than AV flaps (P less than 0.01). Thus venous flaps survive despite depletion of ATP levels. These results suggest that decreased free radical production and lessened edema may be important factors in promoting ultimate survival of venous flaps.