Effect of Systemic Antioxidant Allopurinol Therapy on Skin Flap Survival.

Abstract

Background: This study was undertaken to evaluate whether steady state concentrations of allopurinol can improve ischemia in canine skin flaps.Methods: Twenty dogs underwent one skin flap surgery with a 2-week interval. The first procedure was performed according to the standard protocols. The second phase was started by a 1-week pretreatment with allopurinol. Length of the necrotic zone was measured and recorded daily. At each phase, flaps were removed and sent for histopathological study after 1week observation.Results: Mean length of the necrotic zone in allopurinol treated skin flaps has been significantly less than normal flaps over all 7 days of observation (p-value<0.0001). Histopathology study showed less inflammation and more normal tissue structure in the allopurinol treated skin flaps. Conclusions:Findings obtained from our study demonstrate that systemic administration of allopurinol significantly improves skin flap survival and may have significant clinical implications.