Sensory reinnervation of muscle free flaps for foot reconstruction

A retrospective study was performed to measure sensibility in sensory-to-motor innervated microvascular muscle transplants to the foot. Seven transplants were on the weight-bearing surface of the foot. Five of seven flaps had light-touch sensation. Mean vibrometer readings of the innervated transplants were 15.7 (range: 5 to 40) vs. 5.3 (range 2 to 9) on the contralateral foot. Semmes-Weinstein scores of the innervated flaps were 3.84 (one), 4.74 (one), 5.46 (two), and 6.45 (three) vs. 3.22 (one), 3.84 (one), 4.08 (one), and 4.17 (four) on the contralateral foot. This study documents that sensory-to-motor innervated free muscle flaps may regain measurable sensibility.