Degloving injuries of the lower limb.
OBJECTIVE
To identify the pattern of degloving injuries of the lower limb to help in designing a management protocol for such injuries.


METHODS
Descriptive study.


METHODS
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar over a period of 3 years from September 1998 to August 2001.


METHODS
Fifty patients with degloving injuries of the lower limb were included, type, cause, extent and location of degloving injury was identified in all of them.


RESULTS
Majority of the patients were males (74%) with a median age of 14 years. The most common cause of trauma was roadside accidents (96%). Left lower limb involvement was more common (72%). Sixty-six per cent of the cases sustained trauma to the leg. The type of degloving injury observed more frequently was open degloving in 94% of the patients. Fifty one percent patients had proximally attached degloved skin.


CONCLUSIONS
The pattern of degloving injuries of the lower limb emerging from this study will help clinicians to identify the pattern of these injuries and develop a management protocol.
Department of Plastic and Reconstruction Surgery, Post Graduate Medical Institute / Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, Pakistan. atkhan@psh.paknet.com.pk
Amir Taimur
AT
Khan
Tahmeedullah
Obaidullah
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D062109:Dermatologic Surgical Procedures; D003906:Developing Countries; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D007869:Leg Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods; D018570:Risk Assessment; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply / Q000293:injuries*; D016038:Skin Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery*