Full-thickness skin grafts for lower leg defects: an effective repair option

Repair of lower leg defects after excision of skin lesions that are not amenable to primary closure can be challenging.

To evaluate the outcome of full-thickness skin grafts (FTSG) to repair lower leg defects after excision of cutaneous lesions. To assess graft take at Days 7 and 30 and the number of visits to secondary care after procedure.

Retrospective review of 50 consecutive patients who underwent FTSG to cover defects below the knee between January 2009 and February 2014. Graft take was defined as good (90% healing and pink/purple), moderate (50% healing and pink/purple and >50% graft take), or poor (>50% graft failure).

Mean age was 75 years (range, 49-96 years). The mean area of the defect was 52.4 cm. The mean maximum and minimum diameters of the defect were 2.8 and 2.3 cm. Graft take was good in 44 patients (88%), moderate in 5 patients (10%), and poor in 1 patient (2%) at Day 30. Complications were infrequent and included infection and ulceration. There was no significant association between the graft size and graft take.

Full-thickness skin graft is an effective method of repairing defects on the lower leg after removal of cutaneous lesions. The aftercare of FTSG was acceptable with 86% of patients requiring 5 or fewer visits to secondary care.