X-Message-Number: 17354
Date: Wed, 22 Aug 2001 20:31:56 -0700 (PDT)
From: Doug Skrecky <>
Subject: skin flap viability and DMSO

Title
  Improved outcome of surgical flaps treated with topical
  dimethylsulfoxide.
Source
  Annals of Surgery.  224(4):583-9; discussion 589-90, 1996 Oct.
Abstract
  OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of
  dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) on skin flap
  viability. BACKGROUND: Dimethylsulfoxide
  has been shown to decrease necrosis of random skin flaps in the rat model,
  but no human studies have been performed. The authors performed a randomized,
  prospective study on the effect of DMSO on skin flap viability in patients
  undergoing mastectomy and inguinal lymphadenectomy. METHODS: Twenty-four
  patients had topical 60% DMSO applied to their flaps every 4 hours x 10 days
  after operation and 27 patients had operation alone. The maximum area of flap
  ischemia was traced by a masked observer and measured by cut and weigh
  technique. Significance of differences between the treatment and control
  group was determined by Student's test. RESULTS: The mean area of ischemia
  for the DMSO group was 16.33 U versus 44.93 U for the control group. This
  difference was statistically significant (p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The authors
  conclude that topical application of DMSO reduces skin flap ischemia in
  humans and recommend its use after operation in which skin flaps are created.

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