Abstract
BACKGROUND We aimed to investigate the effect of the local application of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on the angiogenesis of the rabbit prefabricated flap. MATERIAL AND METHODS Femoral arteriovenous bundle prefabricated flaps were constructed on both sides of the abdomen of 20 New Zealand white rabbits and were randomly divided into experimental sides and control sides, with 40 sides in total. Autologous PRP was injected around the prefabricated femoral vascular bundle on the experimental side, and the same amount of saline was injected on the control side. After 14 days, stage II surgery was performed to lift the island flap with the implanted femoral vascular bundle at the tip of the preconfigured flap marker line and suture it in situ. Twenty rabbits were divided equally into 4 groups: group A, 7 days after stage I surgery; group B, 14 days after stage I surgery; group C, 7 days after stage II surgery; and group D, 14 days after stage II surgery. The survival of neovascularization and the flaps in the 4 groups were compared by microscopic observation, histology, and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS The density of neovascularization was much higher on the experimental side than on the control side in the 4 groups, and statistically significantly increased with time (P<0.05). Seven days after stage II surgery, flap survival was better on the experimental side than on the control side. CONCLUSIONS PRP effectively promoted the revascularization of a prefabricated flap, and vascular density increased with time.