The finite element method as a research and teaching tool in the analysis of local skin flaps.

Abstract

The finite element analysis (FEA) is a recently introduced method in biomechanics that permits modeling of complex structures considering them as an aggregate of small elements. Skin flaps are highly suggested to be amenable to the continuum mechanic laws that underly the development of FEA. A combination of "large deformation analysis," based on FEA with the criteria for skin flap selection, was attempted. Serial defects were experimentally created on piglet skin stripes, which were consequently covered through designing appropriate flaps. Skin samples were modeled after the development of a computer FEA program and they were scanned by incorporating their photographs. On the graphic interfaces the flap movement, the closure of the defect, and the whole deformation were found to match with the skin stripe postincisional alterations. This work permits the prediction and offers planning guides for different skin reconstructions.