Ultrasound Point-of-care in Soleous Muscle Flap Reconstruction

Abstract

Introduction: Point-of-care ultrasound has been successfully used in intensive care medicine, trauma surgery and anesthesia. The soleus muscle is indicated for the reconstruction of wounds with bone exposure in the middle and lower thirds of the leg. The objective is to present study is to verify the evidence of the application of point-of-care ultrasound in the soleus muscle flap planning reconstruction. Method: A study was conducted by searching the Pubmed/Medline, SciELO and LILACS databases, applying the descriptors ultrasound, surgical flaps, perforator flap, myocutaneous flap and plastic, surgery. Results: In the reconstruction with the soleus muscle flap, the application of point-of-care ultrasound consisted of the use of the acoustic window concepts with the visualization of the limits of the soleus muscle and adjacent anatomical structures, such as the Achilles tendon and the flexor hallucis longus muscle. Conclusion: The evidences of the application of point-of-care ultrasound in the reconstructions of the lower limbs, using the soleus muscle flap, allowed the visualization of the soleus muscle and the adjacent anatomical structures, such as the Achilles tendon and the tendon of the flexor hallucis longus muscle, important anatomical reference points during the preparation of the soleus muscle flap. Ultrasound is a great non-invasive resource to assist in creating the soleus muscle flap.