Repair of soft tissue defect around ankle with lateral tarsal artery island flap / 中华显微外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the surgical method and therapeutic effect on repairing soft tissue defects around ankle with lateral tarsal artery island flap.Methods:From July 2013 to December 2020, the lateral tarsal artery island flap were used to repair the soft tissue defects around ankle in 12 patients in Hand Surgery Department, Jiangnan Hospital Affiliated to Binjiang College. Of which, 6 patients had soft tissue defects complicated with bone or tendon exposure after injury and 6 had skin necrosis with internal fixation after fracture. The area of soft tissue defects was 6.0 cm×4.0 cm-9.0 cm×5.0 cm, and the size of the flaps was 7.0 cm×5.0 cm-10.0 cm×6.0 cm. After the flap was freed, the vascular pedicle was separated up to the origin of dorsalis pedis artery. As the pedicel was not long enough in 1 patient, the dorsal pedis artery was ligated and transected at the origin of the lateral tarsal artery. Full thickness skin graft was used to repair the donor sites. The patients were treated with anti-infection and anticoagulant therapies. The postoperative follow-ups were conducted by outpatient clinic visit, telephone or WeChat interviews or home visit to observe the recoveries in texture, appearance, sensation, donor site and function of ankle.Results:All the flaps and skin grafts survived. The wound healed well without occurrence of ulcer. The follow-up ranged 6-108 months (mean 17 months). Appearance of the flaps was good. It was not bloated and the sensation was restored to S 2-S 3. Conclusion:It is a good method to apply the lateral tarsal artery island flap in repair of the soft tissue defects around ankle. It features a hidden donor site, simple operation and the high level of safety. The texture and appearance of the flap are close to those of the recipient site.