원위기저 표재성 비복동맥 피판을 이용한 족부 및 족관절부, 하지 원위부의 재건 = RECONSTRUCTION OF THE SOFT TISSUE DEFECTS OF THE FOOT, ANKLE AND DISTAL LOWER EXTREMITY WITH DISTALLY BASED SUPERFICIAL SURAL ARTERY FLAP

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The lower extremity has poor vascularity, proximity to bone and insufficient soft tissue. There are various methods of reconstruction of the soft tissue defects around the foot, ankle and distal lower extremity including primary closure, skin grafts, local flaps, distant flaps, island flaps, and free flaps, each method has their own specific indications and disadvantages. We have reconstructed the defects around the foot, ankle and distal lower extremity with distally based superficial sural artery flap.
The superficial sural artery arises from the popliteal artery or from a sural artery, It reaches the sural nerve after 2 to 3cm and gives off a further branch to the skin that supplies the lower two-thirds of the leg, corresponding to the suprafacial course. On the base of this anatomical knowledge, the distally based superficial sural artery flap was designed and transferred clinically to reconstruct the defects around the foot, ankle and distal lower extremity.
From April, 1994 to November 1994, we reconstructed 9 cases of soft tissue defects around the foot, ankle and distal lower extremity with distally based superficial sural artery flap. All flaps were survived, but congestion was developed in two cases, only one of these occurred partial necrosis on distal portion of the flap. We report 9 cases of the distally based superficial sural artery flap for reconstructions of the soft tissue defects around the foot, ankle and distal lower extremity. this flap has several advantages as follows;
1. technically easy
2. vascularized flap with one-stage operation
3. far fewer limitation of flap size
4. do not sacrifice major arteries