The intravenous fluorescein test: use in timing of groin flap division.

Successful division or delay of the arterial groin flap requires an accurate prediction of viability. The fluorescein dye test is an objective test to determine the earliest possible time a pedicle can be divided. It is an easy, quick, and comfortable test that can be repeated many times without injuring or altering the flap. It consists of an intravenous injection of fluorescein while the pedicle is temporarily and reversibly occluded. All areas with adequate revascularization fluoresce under ultraviolet light. In three groin flaps intended for hand resurfacing, interval fluorescence testing was the sole criterion for successful pedicle division. In an experimental neurovascular island skin flap in the rat, the validity of the fluorescein test was confirmed. In the clinical situation and in the experimental model, fluorescence is an accurate indicator of groin flap revascularization and a predictor for the timing of safe and early groin flap division.