Outcome of proximally based sural artery flap for the coverage of defects around knee joint

Abstract

Introduction: Soft tissue defects around the knee occour commonly. Various flaps have been described for coverage of these defects around the knee, such as local flaps, cross-leg flap or free flaps etc, but, knee joint function and appearance frequently compromise the outcome. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study comprising of eight patients was conducted in a tertiary level trauma center. Proximal based sural artery fasciocutaneuos flap was used to cover tissue defects. Results: No morbidity of the donor site and no functional deficits of the knee or ankle were detected in any of the cases. All flaps survived without any major complications. Most of the patients were satisfied with this thin and sensate flap. Conclusion: The proximally based sural artery flap is easy to raise and execute. It provides a thin, sensate and good gliding surface. This flap is easy to learn and cosmesis is excellent at the recipient site. Hence the authors recommend it to be ideal choice for the coverage of the defects mentioned in the study.