The clinical applications of perforator flaps have gained popularity in the past decades. Due to the significant variation of perforator vascular anatomical features, it is common sense to map the relevant vessels before the reconstructive operations. A great variety of imaging techniques have been applied into the preoperative mapping of perforators, including color Doppler ultrasound, computed tomographic angiography and magnetic resonance angiography. In this paper, the clinical study and application of these techniques were reviewed.