Initial results of covering soft tissue defects in the foot using the lateral supramalleolar flap nourishing by the dorsal vessels anastomosis with the peroneal artery.

Abstract

Covering of skin defects in the foot region endures a significant challenge because of the anatomical characteristics of soft tissue. This research estimated the initial results of reconstruction of foot skin defects using lateral supramalleolar flap. This is a prospective observational study conducted from Dec 2017 to Dec 2021 at the Hospital for Traumatology and Orthopaedics, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Gathered information about demography, etiology, size of skin defect, size of flap, time of surgery, and post operation data. Using Stata 16.0 to analize data. Patients in this research included 21 males and 6 females. The mean age was 42 (ranging from 15 to 68) years. The range of size of skin defects was from 9 to 80 cm2. The success rate was 89%. Twenty-three cases had covered uneventful, and partial flap necrosis occurred in 4 cases (in which three patients were treated by skin graft later and one case got minor surgery suturing). Foot skin defects can be covered with good results by using the lateral supramalleolar flap nourishing by the dorsal vessels anastomosis with the peroneal artery.