Fasciocutaneous flaps for covering foot and ankle injuries

to present some cases from our service and to confirm that sural and lateral supramalleolar flaps are good options for covering the soft tissues of the foot and ankle.

twenty-two flaps were constructed in 21 patients of ages ranging from 15 to 72 years. Male patients predominated (66.6%) and in 47.6% of the cases the injury resulted from accidents involving motorcycles.

among the 22 flaps, 12 were sural and 10 were lateral supramalleolar; in one case, two flaps were used. In all the cases, the injuries were successfully covered and the patients recovered well. During the postoperative follow-up, the commonest complication was epidermolysis, occurring in eight cases (three in a sural flap and five in a supramalleolar flap), among which two cases progressed to distal necrosis of the flap (one sural and the other supramalleolar). One patient wanted the flap reviewed for esthetic reasons.

sural and supramalleolar flaps are very reliable. They preserve the main trunk arteries, are quickly dissected, have low hospital cost, enable coverage of extensive areas, present esthetically acceptable damage to the donor area and do not impair motor function.