Blood flow evaluation of vascularized bone transfers in a canine model

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Abstract
Blood flow in vascularized bone transfers was evaluated in a canine model. Cortical bone blood flow was determined in undisturbed control bone, vascularized heterotopic bone transfers, and nonvascularized cortical bone grafts by means of the radionuclide-labeled microsphere technique. Four animals were studied at 2 days, three at 1 week, eight at 2 weeks, four at 4 weeks, and three at 6 weeks postoperatively. In the 2-day animals, the vascularized bone transfers exhibited intermediate levels of blood flow (1.4 ± 0.4 ml/100 g of bone/min) compared with undisturbed control bone (2.7 ± 0.5 ml/100 g of bone/min) and conventional cortical bone grafts (0.0 ± 0.0 ml/100 g of bone/min). At 1 week postoperatively, the differences in blood flow values of the vascularized transfers (1.7 ± 0.7 ml/100 g of bone/min) and control bone (1.4 ± 1.0 ml/100 g of bone/min) and of the nonvascularized grafts (0.2 ± 0.1 ml/100 g of bone/min) and control bone (1.6 ± 1.1 ml/100 g of bone/min) were no longer significant. At 2 weeks postoperatively, blood flow had increased in both graft groups. At 4 weeks postoperatively, the bone blood flow values in the vascularized transfers (4.8 ± 1.4 ml/100 g of bone/min) were significantly greater than the bone blood flow in control specimens (1.6 ± 0.5 ml/100 g of bone/min) and conventional cortical bone grafts (2.5 ± 2.0 ml/100 g of bone/min). At 6 weeks postoperatively, the bone blood flow values in the vascularized transfers (4.0 ± 2.1 ml/100 g of bone/min) remained greater than the bone blood flow in control specimens (1.7 ± 0.5 ml/100 g of bone/min) and conventional cortical bone grafts (2.5 ± 2.7 ml/100 g of bone/min), but the differences were no longer significant.