Repair of the soft tissue defects of the anterior foot and the ankle with the reversed sural neurocutaneous flap / 中国骨伤

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the operative method and effect of the reversed sural neurocutaneous flap in repairing soft tissue defects of the anterior foot and the ankle.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From March 1999 to November 2004, 19 cases (17 male, 2 female) of soft tissue defects of the anterior foot and the ankle were repaired with the reversed sural neurocutaneous flaps. The flap sizes range from 18 cm x 9 cm to 30 cm x 18 cm.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All flaps survived well, while 1 flap had distal partial necrosis and healed after dressing change. The follow-up from 6 months to 2 years showed that all flaps were satisfactory.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Sural neurocutaneous flap is easy to get and to survive. It is an effective method to repair the soft tissue defects of the anterior foot and the ankle.</p>