Free flap transfers in rats using an irradiated recipient site

As clinical experience with free flaps increases, new applications have been discovered. Recently Panje and Krause (1977) have used them to reconstruct extensive oropharyn-geal defects at the time of tumour resection. In their report of 8 flaps, 2 failures were in recipients of preoperative irradiation. If free flaps are to be employed in the reconstruction of patients with head and neck malignancies, the effect of radiation to the recipient bed and vessels must be known. Tan et al. (1978) found only a 50 per cent success rate in free flap transfers in rabbits using 2,000 rad irradiated recipient vessels. However, Baker and Krause (1978) have recently demonstrated good patency in arterial anastomoses performed on rat arteries following therapeutic dose irradiation. The present study was designed to demonstrate the effect of therapeutic dose irradiation on the recipient bed vasculature and in particular its influence on the viability of free flap isografts in laboratory rats.