This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Patricia B. Williams, PhD; David B. Hankins, MS; Christopher T. Layton; Tu Phan; Michael F. Pratt, MD

Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1994;120(1):65-71.

Abstract
Optimizing survival of random skin flaps is essential to ensure successful rehabilitation of patients in whom flap reconstruction is necessary. This study tested the hypothesis that pentoxifylline improves random skin flap survival in porcine dorsal flank flaps when administered for at least 2 weeks preoperatively. Specific aims included establishing the mechanisms by which pentoxifylline enhanced survival. Treatment with pentoxifylline (25 mg/kg per day) for 14 days before surgery and for 7 days thereafter significantly increased mean flap survival to 73.2%±4.5% compared with mean flap survival of 49.6%±2.2% in untreated pigs. Increased flap survival was associated with a parallel increase in red blood cell flexibility. Plasma concentration of pentoxifylline ranged from 92.9 to 122.7 ng/mL but did not correlate directly with the improved flap survival. Likewise, pentoxifylline decreased platelet aggregation; there was a trend toward increased flap survival in those pigs with the least amount of aggregation. Thus, pentoxifylline improves random flap survival but only after a sufficient pretreatment period of at least 14 days.

(Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1994;120:65-71)

Author Affiliations
From the Departments of Pharmacology (Dr Williams and Messrs Hankins and Layton, and Ms Phan) and Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (Dr Pratt), Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?