Repair of soft tissue defects on the foot and ankle with flaps of cutaneous branches of the low medial leg / 中国微创外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate clinical effects of cutaneous branch flaps of the low medial leg for the repair of soft tissue defects on the foot and ankle.Methods A flap with pedical of cutaneous branches of the low medial leg was used for the repair of 7 cases of skin and soft tissue defects on the feet and ankle from March 2003 to October 2005.The cutaneous branches of the posterior tibial artery were identified along the medial border of the tibia and between the soleus muscle and the flexor digitorum longus muscle.The flap was mobilized according to the site and length of the cutaneous branches,and was transferred to soft tissue defects for skin grafting. Results The operating time was 3~5 hours(mean,4.2 hours).The flaps survived completely in all the 7 cases.Follow-up checkups were carried out for 5~18 months(mean,10 months).The appearance and functions of the foot were satisfactory and met the requirements for daily activities.Conclusions The procedure can effectively repair soft tissue defects on the foot and ankle and does not sacrifice the major arteries.This flap is easy to be prepared.