Intraoperative prediction of postoperative flap outcome using the near-infrared fluorophore methylene blue

Ann Plast Surg. 2013 Mar;70(3):360-5. doi: 10.1097/SAP.0b013e318236babe.

Abstract

Methylene blue (MB) is a near-infrared fluorophore that provides a stable visual map of skin perfusion after intravenous injection. We explored the capability of MB to predict submental flap postoperative outcome using a single intraoperative measurement. Submental flaps were created in N = 15 pigs and imaged using the FLARE imaging system immediately after surgery and at 72 hours. Using the first 3 pigs, optimal MB dosing was found to be 2.0 mg/kg. Training and validation sets of 6 pigs each were then used for receiver operating characteristic analysis. In the training set, a contrast-to-background ratio (CBR) threshold of 1.24 provided the highest sensitivity and specificity to predict tissue necrosis at 72 hours. In the validation set, this threshold provided a prediction sensitivity of 95.3% and a specificity of 98.0%. We demonstrate that a single intraoperative near-infrared measurement can predict submental flap outcome at 72 hours.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Dermatologic Surgical Procedures / methods*
  • Female
  • Methylene Blue* / administration & dosage
  • Monitoring, Intraoperative / methods*
  • Necrosis / diagnosis
  • Optical Imaging / methods*
  • Perfusion
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Prospective Studies
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Skin / pathology*
  • Surgical Flaps / blood supply*
  • Surgical Flaps / pathology*
  • Swine
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Methylene Blue