Pretibial flap wounds: early grafting under regional anaesthesia as an outpatient procedure

A method is described of treating thin flap wounds of the leg which involves primary excision followed by delayed primary closure by skin graft carried out under regional nerve block. This method avoids not only admission to hospital but the hazards of general anaesthesia in patients who are often elderly, or taking steroid drugs. In 38 out of 40 patients so treated, the grafted area was sufficiently well healed to require either no dressing or a protective dressing only after 2-3 outpatient visits spread over 15-16 days.