[Assessment of flap vitality by measuring tissue oxygen pressure].

The tissue oxygen pressure measurements carried out in 33 freshly operated flaps with a newly introduced needle probe show a relation between the pO2-values and the prognosis of the flaps. In the assessment of clinically doubtful flap vitality (pale or blueish appearance) this method allows the clinician to discriminate grafts in need of therapeutic intervention (drugs, leeching, surgery) from those that need not to be treated.