Distally based dorsalis pedis island flap for coverage of the distal portion of the foot

A distally based dorsalis pedis island flap is described which has been successfully used for reconstructing the distal portion of the foot in two patients with amputation of all 5 toes. The indication for this flap is a wide skin defect of the distal half of the dorsal foot without history of local vascular disorder. The arterial inflow of the flap comes from the posterior tibial artery via the deep plantar branch of the dorsalis pedis artery, while the venous drainage is most likely to be through the venae comitantes of the dorsalis pedis artery to those of the deep branch.