Microvascular reconstructions of traumatic-combined tissue loss at foot and ankle level

Severe injuries at foot and ankle level with loss of soft tissues and bone are often treated by means of amputation. The transfer of composite free flaps from various donor sites may provide anatomical reconstruction of the foot and ankle and function. Ten patients who sustained severe combined tissue injuries of the foot requiring reconstruction with composite free flaps were studied with a mean follow-up of 3.4 years. A thorough clinical examination was performed, and gait analysis was carried out with kinetic and kinematic parameters. Bone integration and healing was observed with satisfactory foot morphology. All the patients returned to normal activities, although biomechanical gait analysis showed some functional disorders mainly in joint angular kinematics. Our results showed that microvascular flaps afford successful combined tissue reconstruction of the foot.