Application of the island flap on the back of rabbit as a model, the central vessel and its anterior edge vein was perserved. We explored the features of the blood supply and the difference in the dependence of the recipient bed of pure venous flap, arteriolised venous flap and conventional flap. The result showed that the conventional flap and arteriloized venous flap could survive, but the pure venous flap could not. It was suggested that the pure venous flap was in an impending necrotic condition, therefore,the blood circulation of recipient bed and the rate of revascularization between the recipient bed and the flap seemed to play an important role in the survival of the flap.
From 1987, in 4 cases having muscle damage associated with extensive skin defeet, the repair was carried out by anastomosing the neurovascular pedicle of the free latissimus dorsi myocutaneous graft with the host. The patients were followed up from 6 months to 3 years. The muscle power of the injured part following repair had returned to about 4 degrees, and the external appearance and the function were satisfactory. The advantages and disadvantages of this operation, the preparation of the recipient area and the management of the tendon were discussed.