free tissue transfer

English - English

Definition of free tissue transfer in English English dictionary: (Tıp, İlaç) The terms free flap and free tissue transfer are synonymous labels used to describe the movement of tissue from one site on the body to another. "Free" implies that the tissue, along with its blood supply, is detached from the original location ("donor site") and then transferred to another location ("recipient site"). This is in contrast to a "pedicled" flap in which tissue is left attached to the donor site and simply transposed to a new location keeping the "pedicle" intact as a conduit to supply the tissue with blood. Various types of tissue may be transferred as a free flap including skin and fat, muscle, nerve, bone, or any combination of these. An example of the latter would be a "free toe transfer" in which the 1st or 2nd toe is transferred to the hand to reconstruct a thumb. For all free flaps, the blood supply is reconstituted using microsurgery to reconnect the artery (blood into the flap) and vein (allows blood to flow out of the flap). The free flap is a type of microsurgery that is almost exclusively practiced by plastic surgeons

free tissue transfer