Predicting the fate of free tissue transfers.

Accurate and objective assessment of blood flow in microvascular free tissue transfers both at the time of surgery and during the postoperative period is vital. An experimental study is presented in which four methods of evaluating flow were tested in an animal model. Based on this work clinical free tissue transfers have been successfully monitored using an ultrasound Doppler flowmeter at operation and a laser Doppler flowmeter afterwards. The use of these instruments has significantly improved the reliability of microvascular reconstructions and greatly simplified their postoperative management.