Blood Flow to Palatal Mucosal and Skin Grafts in Mandibular Labial Vestibuloplasty Measured by 133Xe Clearance Technique

Blood flow to anterior alveolar and platal mucosa in 7 patients and blood flow to anterior alveolar mucosa and skin of upper arm in 7 other patients were measured by intramucosal and intradermal (for skin) injections of 133Xe. Later mandibular vestibuloplasty with mucosal grafts in the first and with skin grafts in the second group was performed. During the postoperative period, the patients were followed by clinical observation, and by blood flow measurements for 6 weeks and 1 month respectively. 133Xe clearance was measured on the 7th and 30th days, postoperatively. In normal subjects, the mean blood flows to alveolar and palatal mucosas were 49.2 ± 5.3 and 26.3 ± 3.6, respectively and to skin was 6.57 ± 0.88 ml/100 g/min. Mean blood flow to mucosal graft was 34.7 ± 5.4 and 37.9 ± 3.9 ml/100g/min on 7th and 30th days after the operation, respectively. The means of blood flow to skin grafts were 48.7 ± 5.1 and 39.6 ± 3.8 ml/100g/min on 7th and 30th days after the operation, respectively. These results were in agreement with clinical observations.