Objective To give a review and commentary on the treatment of acute foot and ankle injuries. Methods Based on the treatment experience and recent l iterature, a commentary on acute foot and ankle injuries were given, included the basic and cl inical research results, evaluation before operation, and treatment methods of the soft tissue and bone injuries. Results The treatment of acute foot and ankle injuries is still a hot point in orthopaedic surgery. Operative and non-operative treatment of fresh Achilles tendon rupture can achieve satisfactory results, and early weight-bearing do not increase the re-rupture rate. The time delay between first debridement and injury within 24 hours does not increase the infection rate. For the treatment of severe ankle fractures, attentions should be paid to the cartilage injury, and anatomic reduction, good real ignment, and the congruity recovery are very important. The treatment determination of calcaneal fractures depends on the fully understanding injury mechanisms, classifications, and treatment method. Talus fractures should try to be treated by experienced surgeons. Operation and fixation methods of Lisfranc injury depends on different injury types. Conclusion Acute foot and ankle injuries are common in cl inical, to achieve a satisfactory result in evaluation and treatment, it is important to have a fully evaluation of the injury type, and choose the best operation time and suitable treatment methods, as well as to fully understand the biomechanical characteristics of different regions.
Objective To investigate the operative techniques and cl inical results of sural neurocutaneous vascular flap pedicled on the relatively higher and main perforating branch of peroneal artery in repairing small and medium-sized soft tissue defects in ankle. Methods From July 2004 to February 2007, 14 patients (9 males and 5 females, aged 19-53 years) withsmall and medium-sized soft tissue defects in ankle were treated, including 4 cases of skin necrosis caused by surgery for achilles tendon rupture, 3 soft tissue defects due to car accident, 2 crush injury due to fall ing heavy objects, 2 chronical infectious ulcer, 2 skin necrosis cuased by surgery for calcaneus fracture and 1 melanoma resection in heel. Ranging from 4 cm × 2 cm to 9 cm × 5 cm and combing with exposure of either tendon or bone, the defects were in ankle areas (12 cases) and weight-bearing heel (2 cases). The time from injury to hospital ization was 12 days to 13 months, except 3 cases of emergency hospital ization. After thorough debridement, the sural neurocutaneous vascular flaps (13 cm × 5 cm - 36 cm × 6 cm ) pedicled on the perforating branch of peroneal artery was harvested to repair the defects. The donor sites were sutured directly. Results Postoperatively all the flaps survived, and all the donor sites and wounds healed by first intention. Over a 7-23 month follow-up period, the texture, appearance and color of the flaps in all cases were good, with two-point discrimination of 7-12 mm.The function of ankle obtained satisfactory recovery with normal in-shoe gait. Conclusion With a rel iable blood supply, simple operative procedure, sound repair of wound and satisfactory recovery of l imb function, the sural neurocutaneous vascular flap pedicled on the relatively higher and main perforating branch of peroneal artery is appl icable for the repair of small and medium-sized defects in the ankle and weight-bearing area of heel, especially for patients who have no satisfactory perforating branch in lower position.
Objective To summarize the clinical effects of the repairing methods for deep wounds of the foot and ankle. Methods From March 2002 to June 2006, 49 patients with skin and deep tissue defects of the foot and ankle underwent the repairing treatment. Of them, 36 were males and 13 were females, aged 16 to 67 years( 39 years on average). The causes of injuries included mangled injury in 24 cases, high fall injury in 9 cases, cut injury in 7 cases, malignant soft tissue tumor in 5 cases, decubital ulcer in 2 cases, and electric burn in 2 cases. Of the 49 cases, 19 were in left side and 30 in right side. The defect size of skin ranged from 3 cm×2 cm to 20 cm×15 cm and deep tissue injuries were accompanied by defects of tendon and ligament in 24 cases, by damage of joint in 12 cases, and by bone defect in 9 cases, and 35 of them had infections, and 2 of them had diabetes of stage 2. The time between the injury and surgery ranged from 4 hours to 1 year.The wounds were repaired separately by local flap(3 cm×3 cm to 6 cm×4 cm) in 15 cases, local island flap(8 cm×5 cm to 12 cm×7 cm) in 25 cases, free flap(15 cm×11 cm to 24 cm×17 cm) in 4 cases, and cross leg flap(5 cm×4 cm to 8 cm×6 cm) in 5 cases. In 24 cases of defects of tendon and ligament, 15 underwent the reconstruction in one-stage operations,9 in two-satge operation.In 9 cases accompanied by bone defect, twostage bone grafting (12-64 g) was given after wound healed. Results All of the 49 flaps survived. Fortysix healed by the first intention and 3 with distal edge necrosis healed after skin grafting. Two patients with sinus formation healed after 68 months of dressing change. All the cases were followed up 6 months to 3 years, and all the flaps were well developed, the functions of the foot and ankle were satisfactory. Conclusion It can get an excellent result of appearance and function recovery repairing deep wounds of the foot and ankle with proper flaps in earlier time.
Objective To report the clinical result of the improvedisland skin flap with distallybased sural nerve nutrient vessels in repairing skin defect in the heel, ankle or foot. Methods From August2004 to April 2005, 15 patients with skin defect in the heel, ankle or foot at distal part were treated by the improved island skin flap with distally-based of sural nerve nutrient vessels. Of 15 flaps, 12 were simplex flaps and 3 were complex flaps. These flap area ranged from 7 cm×6 cm to 11×8 cm. The donor sites were sutured directly and covered with free flap. Results All flaps survived without flap swelling and disturbance of blood circulation. The wounds of donor and recipient sites healed by first intention. The followup period ranged from 3 to 6 months. The texture of flap was soft and the color of flap was similar to that of normal skin. The foot function was excellent. Conclusion The improved island skin flap with distally-based sural nerve nutrient vessels is an ideal skin flap for repairing skin defect in the heel, ankle or foot distal part in clinical. The operation is simple and need not to anastomose blood vessel.
Objective To explore a suitable repairing method for skin defects of the foot and ankle, and to evaluate the therapeutic effects of the different repairing methods. Methods From January 2000 to October 2005, 36 patients with skin defects of the foot and ankle underwentthe repairing treatment, of whom 35 were males and 1 was female, aged 5-62 years, averaged 38 years. Of the 36 patients, 12 had an injury by a machine, 22 had a traffic accident, 1 had an infection, and 1 had a cold injury. And the injuries involved the dorsum of the foot, heel, forefoot, and medial or lateral malleolus. The injuries were respectively treated by 2 different repairing methods, the repair with the coverage by the lateral supramalleolar flaps and the repair with the coverage by the reverse sural neurocutaneous flaps. The skin defectsranged in area from 5 cm×4 cm to 20 cm×10 cm. The lateral supramalleolar flapwas used in 15 patients (15 flaps) with a flap area of 5 cm×4 cm-15 cm×8 cm,and the reverse sural neurocutaneous flap was used in 21 patients (22 flaps) with a flap area of 6 cm×4 cm20 cm×10 cm. We retrospectively observed the therapeutic results and compared the success rates of the two methods. Results Of the 36 patients, 15 underwent the repair with the coverage by 15 lateral supramalleolar flaps; 10 achieved a complete survival of the flaps, 2 developed an epidermal necrosis over the distal part, and 3 developed a complete necrosis.The other 21 patients underwent the repair with the coverage by 22 reverse sural neurocutaneous flaps. Of the 22 flaps, 21 had a complete survival, and only 1 failed to survive. The comparison revealed that there was no difference in the color, texture, and contour of the flaps between the 2 repaired groups. And the patients in the 2 groups were equally satisfied with the repairing treatments. The sensation of the flaps recovered to S0-S1. Conclusion The repairing of the foot and ankle skin defects with the coverage by the lateral supramalleolar flaps or by the reverse sural neurocutaneous flaps can achieve a similar good therapeutic result. However, the repair with the lateral supramalleolarflaps is more suitable for the skin defect of a smaller area over the medial orlateral malleolus, or the proximal dorsum of the foot; the repair with the reverse sural neurocutaneous flaps is more suitable for the skin defect of a larger area over the foot and ankle without serious destruction of the malleolar arterial rete.
ObjectiveTo explore the effectiveness of a new method to repair severe soft tissue defects of the leg, foot, and ankle with contralateral saphenous neurocutaneous vascular flaps combined with assembly external frisket for fixation in parallel-leg position. MethodsBetween August 2009 and August 2013, 29 cases with leg, foot, or ankle wound were treated. There were 18 males and 11 females, with an average age of 37.6 years (range, 11-65 years). The interval of injury and operation was 14-36 days (mean, 22.3 days). The locations were the planta pedis and heel in 5 cases, the dorsal foot in 2 cases, the ankle in 4 cases, middle and lower leg in 14 cases, and upper leg in 4 cases. The area of trauma ranged from 5 cm×3 cm to 19 cm×9 cm. The assembly external frisket was used for fixation in parallel-leg position; a bridge flap was transplanted to repair defects, and the area of flap ranged from 6 cm×4 cm to 22 cm×11 cm. The donor sites were directly sutured or repaired with skin graft. The pedicle of the bridge flap was cut off and the assembly external frisket was removed after 3-4 weeks. ResultsThe flaps in all patients survived completely; primary healing of wound and incision at donor site was obtained. The patients were followed up 6-18 months (mean, 13.2 months). The appearance of flaps was satisfactory, and the sensation of the heel recovered. Moreover, the patients had a comfortable feeling, and the ankle and knee joints can move freely, and had good function. ConclusionThe assembly external frisket in parallel-leg position instead of cross-leg can make patients comfortable position, and achieve reliable fixation. The saphenous neurocutaneous vascular flap has the advantages of no need for anastomosis vein and for sacrifice of the main vein. Contralateral saphenous neurocutaneous vascular flap combined with assembly external frisket for fixation in parallel-leg position is a favorite method to repair severe soft tissue defects of the leg, foot, and ankle.
ObjectiveTo explore the application value of digital subtraction angiography (DSA) in repairing foot and ankle wounds with posterior tibial arterial perforator flaps. MethodsBetween January 2010 and May 2014, 12 cases of foot and ankle wounds were repaired using posterior tibial arterial perforator flaps. There were 7 males and 5 females with an average age of 36 years (range, 22-54 years). The causes were machine injury in 2 cases, falling injury in 3 cases, and traffic accident injury in 7 cases. The disease duration ranged from 7 to 45 days (mean, 16 days). The size of wound ranged from 6 cm×4 cm to 10 cm×5 cm. Preoperative DSA was performed to observe the orientation and distribution of the posterior tibial arterial perforator and the relationship between perforator vessels. Correspondently, the flaps were designed and harvested. The size of flap ranged from 7 cm×5 cm to 11 cm×6 cm. The donor sites were repaired with skin grafts. ResultsPosterior tibial arterial perforator vessels send out ascending branches and descending branches while going down in the superficial layer. All branches were connected to form vertical chain-form anastamosis, and its orientation was consistent with limb vertical axis. According to DSA results, the flaps were designed and harvested easily. All flaps survived after operation. Meanwhile, wounds healed by first intention. All skin grafts at donor site survived. All patients were followed up 6 months. The flaps had good appearance, color, and texture. No ulcer was found. Affected feet had normal walking function. ConclusionThe size, distribution, and chain-form anastamosis condition of the posterior tibial arterial perforator vessels can be accurately observed by DSA, which provides imaging evidence for harvesting posterior tibial arterial perforator flaps and improves the success rate for repairing foot and ankle wounds.
ObjectiveTo introduce a modified technique of a sloped skin island design for the distally based sural nuerofasciocutaneous flap to reconstruct soft tissue defects longitudinal in distal pretibial region or transverse in the heel and ankle, and report the effectiveness of the modified technique. MethodsBetween April 2001 and January 2016, 37 patients (38 defects) with longitudinal defects in distal pretibial region or transverse defects in the heel and ankle were treated with the sural nuerofasciocutaneous flap with slope-designed skin island. These patients included 28 males and 9 females, with a median age of 37 years (range, 5-78 years). The horizontal and vertical dimensions ranged from 3 to 8 cm and 8.5 to 14.5 cm in 11 distal pretibial defects, and from 9 to 21 cm and 3.0 to 10.5 cm in 27 heel and ankle defects, respectively. The disease duration ranged from 2 days to 5 years. ResultsWhen the skin islands were routinely designed, the skin islands of 25 flaps would exceed the lateral limit (the anterior border of the fibula) laterally or medial limit (the medial border of the tibia) medially. After the skin islands were obliquely designed, the horizontal dimensions in 38 flaps decreased an average of 5.4 cm (range, 2.5 to 14.8 cm), and the vertical dimensions increased an average of 5.3 cm (range, 2 to 15 cm). The rotation angles ranged from 42° to 90°, with an average of 67°. Thirty-five flaps survived uneventfully. Margin necrosis occurred in 2 flaps, and partial necrosis in 1 (2.6%) flap. The grafted skins at donor site survived, and primary healing of incision was obtained. All patients were followed up 6 to 42 months (mean, 10 months). No infection or ulceration was noted during the follow-up period, and the appearances of the flaps were satisfactory. At last follow-up, according to Boyden et al criteria, the limb function was excellent in 30 cases, good in 6 cases, and poor in 2 cases, with the excellent and good rateof 94.7%. ConclusionWhen the distal sural nuerofasciocutaneous flap is used to reconstruct soft tissue defects longitudinal in distal pretibial region or transverse in the heel and ankle, the modified technique of sloped skin island design can decrease the horizontal dimension of the skin island, improve the flap survival rate, and extend its indications.
ObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness of free superficial iliac circumflex artery perforator flap for repair of foot skin and soft tissue defect. MethodsBetween January 2010 and December 2015, 16 patients with ankle skin and soft tissue defect were treated. There were 13 males and 3 females with an average age of 32 years (range, 5-56 years). The causes included traffic accident injury in 8 cases, machinery injury in 3 cases, falling injury in 3 cases, and electrically injury in 2 cases. The time from injury to hospital was 1 to 6 hours (mean, 3.5 hours). The wound sites included foot dorsum skin defect in 6 cases, ankle skin defect in 5 cases, the back foot and ankle skin defect in 5 cases. The skin defect size ranged 5 cm×4 cm to 16 cm×7 cm. All patients had tendon exposure, and 8 patients had fracture. An emergency repair was performed in 6 cases, and selective surgery in 10 cases. The free iliac circumflex artery perforators flap was used to repair defect; the flap size was 6 cm×5 cm to 17 cm×8 cm, and the flap thickness was 0.4 to 1.1 cm (mean, 0.8 cm). ResultsThe flaps survived in the other 15 patients with primary healing of wounds except 1 patient because the iliac circumflex artery was too small to provide good blood supply, who underwent repair with local skin flap. Incision at donor site healed by first intention. The 15 cases were followed up 6-24 months (mean, 13 months). The appearance of the foot was satisfactory, and the flap had good texture without bulky flaps. ConclusionFree iliac circumflex artery perforators flap is one of ideal flaps in repair of skin defect of the foot and ankle because of hidden donor site, reliable blood supply, less injury to donor site, and full use of the flap.
Objective To investigate the clinical application of relaying lateral gastrocnemius artery perforator flap in reconstruction of the donor defect after distally sural flap transferring. Methods Between January 2014 and January 2016, 12 cases with foot and ankle defects were treated. There were 10 males and 2 females with an average age of 23.4 years (mean, 14-52 years). The injury was caused by motorcycle accident in 7 cases and traffic accident in 5 cases. The injury located at left limb in 7 cases and right limb in 5 cases. The size of soft tissue ranged from 10 cm×4 cm to 12 cm×6 cm. The disease duration was 2-84 hours (mean, 26.2 hours). The foot and ankle defects were reconstructed by distally sural flaps, then the flap donor sites were reconstructed with relaying lateral gastrocnemius artery perforator flap at the same stage. The size of distally sural flap ranged from 11 cm×5 cm to 13 cm×7 cm. The size of relaying flap ranged from 7 cm×4 cm to 10 cm×6 cm. Results All flaps survived uneventfully. All recipient sites and donor sites healed smoothly. No vascular crisis, wound dehiscence, or evident swelling occurred. All patients were followed up 6-14 months (mean, 12.4 months) with satisfied esthetic and functional results in recipient and donor sites. There were only linear scar on the donor sites. The color and contour was satisfying, the function of calf and foot were not affected. Conclusion The relaying lateral gastrocnemius artery perforator flap combined with distally sural flap is an idea choice to reconstruct foot and ankle defect, which can avoid donor site skin grafting, minimize donor site morbidity.