[Recent progress in the treatment of lower limb defects]

Technological and reconstructive surgical procedures improvments are limiting demolitive interventions on the lower limb for common pathologies and traumatology. From 1999 to 2002, 32 men and 14 women, from 18 to 54 years-old, were admitted at the Operative Unit of Plastic Surgery of ASL RMH. They were grouped according to cause and site of extremity defects and different surgical techniques. Seven cross-leg flaps, 31 proximity flaps, and 18 skin grafts were performed. The results were satisfactory except in two cases. The Authors are oriented towards the cross-leg flap for foot repair. For other anatomical districts, they prefer muscular flaps covered by skin grafts. Finally, for neoplastic lesions they choose proximity flaps.