medial gastrocnemius myocutaneous flap with a laterally extended skin paddle

ABSTRACT

Eighteen gastrocnemius flaps were used to cover soft tissue defects in legs and feet of seventeen male patients. As defects were larger than the standard medial gastrocnemius myocutaneous flap in eight cases, the skin over the lateral belly was elevated medially based together with the flap to compensate for width discrepancy. Based on survival of these eight modified flaps and on a previous anatomical study [Kamal et al, 1992], we conclude that the skin paddle of the medial flap can safely be laterally extended to include the fasciocutaneous tissue overlying the lateral belly