Calcaneal fillet flap: a new osteocutaneous free tissue transfer for emergency salvage of traumatic below-knee amputation stumps.
Traumatic below-knee amputations do not always leave enough soft tissue of bone with which to fashion a stump of sufficient length and durability to support a prosthesis. Composite free flaps can often be harvested from the amputated limb to provide immediate one-stage stump salvage and to preserve knee function. We report a new technique to increase stump length by incorporating the calcaneus into a foot fillet flap as a vascularized bone transfer. The calcaneal fillet flap is a useful addition to the inventory of available composite flaps. It is recommended for knee joint salvage when there is less than 11 cm of tibial remnant length.
Januszkiewicz
J S
JS
Regional Centre for Reconstructive, Plastic, Maxillofacial and Hand Surgery, Middlemore Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand.
Mehrotra
O N
ON
Brown
G E
GE
D000328:Adult; D000672:Amputation Stumps; D000673:Amputation, Traumatic / Q000601:surgery*; D016025:Bone Transplantation; D002111:Calcaneus / Q000637:transplantation*; D006801:Humans; D007869:Leg Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome