Evaluation by Blood Flow Visualization and Digitization in Flap Reconstruction Surgery

Abstract

In flap reconstruction surgery in the plastic surgery field, blood flow evaluation is performed at multiple times such as preoperative evaluation of flap feeding vessels, intraoperative flap blood flow evaluation, and postoperative flap monitoring. As blood flow evaluation methods, visualizing methods, such as ultrasonography, CT angiography, MR angiography, and ICG angiography, and digitalizing method, such as ultrasonography, laser blood flow meter, transcutaneous carbon dioxide pressure measurement, and tissue oxygen saturation measurement, have been reported. An ideal blood flow evaluation method is one that anyone can easily and objectively use regardless of experience, but a universal blood flow evaluation method has not been established.
We believe that it is important to perform consistent preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative blood flow evaluations by combining different evaluation methods that visualize and digitalize flap blood flow.