A novel reconstruction technique for the knee and upper one third of lower leg

Various reconstructive choices for the coverage of soft tissue defects around the knee joint or upper one third of lower leg are available depending on the location, size and depth of the defect. The authors have found the medial sural artery perforator island flap a useful method for reconstruction of the upper one third of lower leg and knee. From January 2003 to November 2005, medial sural perforator island flaps were used on six patients, five were men and one was a woman. The largest flap obtained was 16 x 7 cm. In three cases, defects were located on the upper one third of lower leg and in the other cases, on the knee. Four of them bone exposed, and two cases had a post-burn contracture. All six flaps survived completely, without even minor complications. Postoperative follow up of the patients ranged from 2 to 33 months. The main advantages of the medial sural perforator island flap are a constant location and reliable blood supply without sacrifice of any main source artery and underlying muscle. This procedure is a valuable extension of local flap for defect coverage with minimal functional deficit of donor site and good aesthetic result on the defect and is a useful method for reconstruction of the upper one third of lower leg and knee.