Integra acellular collagen as a vascular carrier for skin flap prefabrication in XXXX .

@entity35 @entity2295 @entity254 @entity292
In this study, the feasibility of Integra acellular collagen used as a vascular carrier in skin flap prefabrication was examined. In all, 20 @entity35 were randomly divided into 3 groups. The saphenous vascular bundle was used as the vascular carrier. In group 1 (n = 8), an arteriovenous @entity292 was made by @entity254 of distal saphenous artery and vein. An Integra patch (2   3 cm  ) was placed underneath the vascular bundle. In group 2 (n = 6), an Integra patch was placed on the top of the saphenous vessels, which remained intact. In group 3 (n = 6), an arteriovenous @entity292 was made without Integra implant. Two weeks after the initial management, a skin flap (2   3 cm   in size) was raised and replaced in each group. The survival of the flaps and histology were evaluated at 7 days after flap replacement. The results showed that the average survival area in group 1 was 98%    2%. No flap survival was observed in group 2. The mean survival area in group 3 was 29%    6%. The differences among all 3 groups were significant (P < 0.05). Although the mean survival area in group 3 was significantly lower than that in group 1 (P < 0.001), it was significantly higher than that in group 2. Histology showed that the Integra patch was incorporated into the adjacent connective tissue, and increased amounts of @entity2295 were seen between the collagenous sheets and dermis in group 1. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that Integra acellular collagen can incorporate into the adjacent tissue as a vascular carrier and induce angiogenesis in flap prefabrication. This biomaterial can provide a scaffold for supporting and enhancing the survival of a vascular prefabricated skin flap. The results indicate that this material is an ideal biomaterial for flap prefabrication and may be used for this clinical purpose in the future.
