title: Free medial plantar perforator flaps for the resurfacing of finger and foot defects.
abstract: In this article, three cases in which free medial plantar perforator flaps were successfully transferred for coverage of soft-tissue defects in the fingers and foot are described. This perforator flap has no fascial component and is nourished only by perforators of the medial plantar vessel and a cutaneous vein or with a small segment of the medial plantar vessel. The advantages of this flap are minimal donor-site morbidity, minimal damage to both the posterior tibial and medial plantar systems, no need for deep dissection, the ability to thin the flap by primary removal of excess fatty tissue, the use of a large cutaneous vein as a venous drainage system, a good color and texture match for finger pulp repair, short time for flap elevation, possible application as a flow-through flap, and a concealed donor scar.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Kawasaki Medical School, Okayama, Japan. plakoshi@cc.okayama-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Koshima
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Urushibara
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inagawa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hamasaki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Moriguchi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003286:Contracture / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005383:Finger Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D005528:Foot / Q000601:surgery; D018409:Foot Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012883:Skin Ulcer / Q000601:surgery*; D017695:Soft Tissue Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000098:blood supply