Ultrasonographic tissue perfusion analysis at implant and palatal donor sites following soft tissue augmentation: A clinical pilot study

Aim: To describe the application of power Doppler Ultrasonography (US) for evaluating blood flow at implant and palatal donor sites following soft tissue augmentation with the connective tissue graft (CTG).

Materials and methods: Five patients exhibiting a peri-implant soft tissue dehiscence received treatment with a coronally advanced flap and corresponding CTG. Power Doppler US was used for assessing blood volume at baseline, 1 week, 1 month, 6 months and 12 months post-surgery for assessing blood-flow dynamics at the implant and palatal donor sites. The speed-weighted and power-weighted colour pixel density (CPPD) were computed from colour velocity (CV) and colour power (CP), respectively.

Results: A mean increase in CV of 199.25% was observed at the midfacial region of the implant sites after 1 week compared to baseline. CV and CP were increased in all sites at 1 week and 1 month. At 6 and 12 months, the mean CV appeared lower than baseline at the implant sites. CCPD was increased at the palatal donor sites and at the great palatine foramen areas at the 1-week and 1-month post-operative evaluations.

Conclusions: Power Doppler US is a non-invasive and valuable tool for estimating tissue perfusion and CPPD variation during different phases of intra-oral soft tissue graft healing.