Training and experimentation in microsurgery: Models of microsurgical flaps in rats

The accurate revision of the scientific literature, about the main experimental pattern of proposed and studied flaps in rat in the last forty years, allowed to select the most significative and useful models for the next experimental growth and microsurgery training. We prepared 30 Wistar male rats, 280-300 g. weight: axial or random cutaneous flaps and island, perforator, muscular and composite flaps. The main feature in each model are: anatomical site, flap size, tissue type, vascularization, innervation, surgical found sites, surgical techniques, flap survival, follow-up, surgical complications, drugs or different surgical techniques used, alike works on human or found in literature using this type of flap or its variants. This study allowed us to revisit the experimental flaps classification; it confirms the day seven as best timing to value and quantify the flaps vitality, and to make standard preparation in surgical techniques; moreover it settles the parameters for the better flap choice using different experimental records.