Enhancement of intestinal absorptive capacity with omental flaps.

The ability of pedicled omental flaps to revascularize isolated jejunal segments was determined in the initial phase of this project. These bowel segments were capable of surviving independent of their mesenteric perfusion, and absorptive function was equal to that of controls as measured by D-xylose assays. In the second phase of this research, we studied in 10 dogs the absorptive capacity of isolated jejunal segments with both an intact mesentery and an omental flap sutured to the antimesenteric border compared with controls that were perfused only by the mesentery.

Color flow ultrasound for delineating microsurgical vessels: a clinical and experimental study.

There is a need in plastic and reconstructive surgery for a method of monitoring flaps and replants pre- and postoperatively. This study evaluates color flow Doppler done as a monitoring technique for microvascular vessels. The capability of color flow ultrasound to monitor venous and arterial insufficiency and occlusion was studied by means of an experimental system in the Yucatan miniature swine model.

An adverse wound environment activates leukocytes prematurely.

This study was designed to evaluate the effect of different wound environments on wound activation. Our wound model provided two distinct environments, a well vascularized musculocutaneous flap and a poorly perfused random-pattern flap, in miniature swine. Leukocytes were isolated and analyzed by the following three variables: surface and total cellular Mac-1 (CD11b/CD18), superoxide anion expression, and lactoferrin release.