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Three Cases of Medial Plantar Flap in the Reconstruction of Lower Extremity Soft Tissue Defects: A Case Report
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M Ghoncheh *    |
| 1.Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, I.R.Iran. , mahdighoncheh@gmail.com |
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Abstract: (157 Views) |
Background and Objective: In reconstructing soft tissue defects of the heel and Achilles tendon, the tissue used must be weightbearing and flexible enough to accommodate gliding movements of the tendon. Additionally, flap volume should not interfere with the patient's ability to wear shoes. Since free flaps require microvascular surgical expertise and equipment, are generally associated with longer operative times, and may not be feasible in some patients, this study aims to report three cases of medial plantar flap for lower extremity soft tissue defect reconstruction.
Case Reports: This study reports the demographic data and surgical outcomes of three patients who underwent reconstruction of heel and Achilles tendon wounds using the medial plantar flap at Imam Reza Hospital, Birjand, from 2016 to 2023. All three patients were male. The etiologies were Marjolin's ulcer (n=1), traumatic wound (n=1), and malignant melanoma (n=1). The mean age was 43.7±25.1 years (range, 16-65 years). The primary soft tissue defect requiring flap coverage was located in the heel in two patients and the Achilles tendon in one patient. The mean defect size was 25±5 cm². In all three patients, following defect reconstruction with the medial plantar flap, the donor site was simultaneously covered with a split-thickness skin graft harvested from the thigh. On postoperative follow-up, no flap necrosis was observed in any patient. One patient developed minor necrosis of the skin graft used to cover the donor site, which was resolved with conservative management. Overall, all three patients had a satisfactory healing course with no major complications.
Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, the medial plantar flap is a reliable flap with low complication rates that can be used for reconstruction of soft tissue defects of the heel and Achilles tendon region. |
Article number: e18 |
| Keywords: Medial Plantar Flap, Free Flap, Soft Tissue Defects, Lower Extremity. |
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Full-Text [PDF 717 kb]
(20 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Cohort |
Subject:
Orthopedics
Received: 2025/02/10 | Accepted: 2025/05/5 | Published: 2026/06/20
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