SURAL NUEROFASCIOCUTANEOUS FLAP WITH SLOPE-DESIGNED SKIN ISLAND FOR COVERAGE OF SOFT TISSUE DEFECTS LONGITUDINAL IN DISTAL PRETIBIAL REGION OR TRANSVERSE IN HEEL AND ANKLE

Abstract

To introduce a modified technique of a sloped skin island design for the distally based sural nuerofasciocutaneous flap to reconstruct soft tissue defects longitudinal in distal pretibial region or transverse in the heel and ankle, and report the effectiveness of the modified technique. Between April 2001 and January 2016, 37 patients (38 defects) with longitudinal defects in distal pretibial region or transverse defects in the heel and ankle were treated with the sural nuerofasciocutaneous flap with slope-designed skin island. These patients included 28 males and 9 females, with a median age of 37 years (range, 5-78 years). The horizontal and vertical dimensions ranged from 3 to 8 cm and 8.5 to 14.5 cm in 11 distal pretibial defects, and from 9 to 21 cm and 3.0 to 10.5 cm in 27 heel and ankle defects, respectively. The disease duration ranged from 2 days to 5 years. When the skin islands were routinely designed, the skin islands of 25 flaps would exceed the lateral limit (the anterior border of the fibula) laterally or medial limit (the medial border of the tibia) medially. After the skin islands were obliquely designed, the horizontal dimensions in 38 flaps decreased an average of 5.4 cm (range, 2.5 to 14.8 cm), and the vertical dimensions increased an average of 5.3 cm (range, 2 to 15 cm). The rotation angles ranged from 42° to 90°, with an average of 67°. Thirty-five flaps survived uneventfully. Margin necrosis occurred in 2 flaps, and partial necrosis in 1 (2.6%) flap. The grafted skins at donor site survived, and primary healing of incision was obtained. All patients were followed up 6 to 42 months (mean, 10 months). No infection or ulceration was noted during the follow-up period, and the appearances of the flaps were satisfactory. At last follow-up, according to Boyden et al criteria, the limb function was excellent in 30 cases, good in 6 cases, and poor in 2 cases, with the excellent and good rateof 94.7%. When the distal sural nuerofasciocutaneous flap is used to reconstruct soft tissue defects longitudinal in distal pretibial region or transverse in the heel and ankle, the modified technique of sloped skin island design can decrease the horizontal dimension of the skin island, improve the flap survival rate, and extend its indications.