Claudia
Fellner1, Ernst M. Jung1, Stefan Feuerbach1,
Lukas Prantl2
1Institute of Radiology, University Medical Center
Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany; 2Department of Traum and Plastic
Surgery, University Medical Center Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
The
aim of this study was to evaluate the perfusion of free flaps using DCE MRI.
DCE covering the whole flap was performed in 11 patients. Signal increase
over time in normally perfused flaps was similar to the reference tissue;
there was no significant difference depending on the position within the
flap. In flaps with compromised perfusion the increase was significantly
lower than in the reference tissue. Normalized signal increase in adequately
perfused flaps and flaps with compromised perfusion showed a significant
difference. DCE MRI may be a valuable non-invasive tool to evaluate tissue
perfusion of the complete free flap.
Keywords