ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the efficacy of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) combined with a retrograde sural neurovascular flap for the repair of foot and ankle wounds.Methods:Eighty-eight patients with foot and ankle wounds who received treatment in Shandong Wendeng Osteopathic Hospital from July 2019 to January 2020 were included in this study. They were randomly assigned to undergo either NPWT combined with retrograde sural neurovascular flap repair (observation group, n = 44) or retrograde sural neurovascular flap repair alone (control group, n = 44). Clinical efficacy, flap survival, wound healing, and postoperative ankle function scores were compared between the two groups. Results:Total response rate was significantly higher in the observation group than in the control group [97.73% (43/44) vs. 81.82% (36/44), χ2 = 6.07, P = 0.014]. Flap survival rate was significantly higher in the observation group than in the control group [100.00% (44/44) vs. 86.36% (38/44), χ2 = 4.47, P = 0.034]. Wound healing rate was significantly higher in the observation group than in the control group [97.73% (43/44) vs. 79.55% (35/44), χ2 = 7.22, P = 0.007]. Half a year after surgery, pain score, gait score, foot and ankle swelling score, range of motion of the tibiotalar joint, range of motion of the ankle joint were (1.81 ± 0.45) points, (1.40 ± 0.41) points, (1.98 ± 0.38) points, (0.41 ± 0.35) points, and (0.84 ± 0.51) points, respectively in the observation group, which were significantly lower than those in the control group ( t = 2.63, 2.62, 2.15, 2.09, 2.02, all P < 0.05). Conclusion:NPWT combined with a retrograde sural neurovascular flap greatly increases flap survival rate and wound healing rate and improves the ankle function of patients with foot and ankle wounds.