Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Angiotomy methods such as dissection, ink injection and angiographs techniques have been used to identify vessel location. However, these techniques rarely provide a steric architecture of the cutaneous angiosome.
OBJECTIVE: To establish three-dimensional (3D) architecture of the cutaneous angiosome for assessing and designing perforator flaps.
METHODS: Two fresh cadavers were injected with carboxymethyl cellulose/lead oxide and subjected to CT scanning before and after the injection to obtain data of the cutaneous and subcutaneous tissue derived from one injected cadaver. Three-dimensional reconstruction and perforator flaps design were performed using Mimics13.1 software.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Three-dimensional digital models of the bone, blood vessels, skin were obtained. The flap with total perforator of external femoral circumflex artery and the flap with main perforator of posterior humeral circumflex artery were developed. The 3D microvascular architecture model can clearly display the spatial location, distribution range and anastomose relationship of the cutaneous perforators, the caliber, length, position of particular source artery in the exact spatial location. As a result, it visualized the general area and expandable direction of a respective flap. This technique facilitates perforator flaps design and blood supply evaluation.