Abstract 105: Upregulation of Proangiogenic miRNAs and Genes from the EGF Receptor and Angiopoietin Families in Arteriovenous Loops in Patients with Microsurgical Lower Extremity Reconstruction

PURPOSE: A lack of recipient vessels for microsurgical extremity reconstructions may result from peripheral vascular disease, trauma, or oncologic resections and can be managed by vascular reconstructions with arteriovenous (AV) loops, which serve as recipient vessels for free flap anastomoses. In small and large animal models AV loops promote angiogenesis, presumably through elevated shear stress on the vascular endothelium. It has been postulated that vascularized free flaps are able to induce angiogenesis in ischemic lower extremities of patients with peripheral vascular disease, however, the molecular basis of this “nutrient flap” concept has never been examined in a clinical setting. In this study we analyzed miRNA and gene expression profiles in AV loops from patients with combined vascular and soft-tissue reconstructions in order to investigate whether enhanced blood flow in an AV loop leads to an upregulation of proangiogenic miRNAs and genes in humans.