title: Closure or reduction of the donor defect of a sural flap with a purse-string suture: long-term results.
abstract: We aimed to reduce the defect with a purse-string suture to minimise the deformity of the flap donor area and to assess the later efficiency at long-term follow-up. We studied 20 patients who required a sural flap for the reconstruction of defects of the lower extremity. The mean (SD) area of the donor defect was roughly 28.7 (20.3) cm(2). The mean (SD) defect area after closure with a purse-string was 8.2 (5.8) cm(2) (p < 0.001). The measurements made in the third year were 8.4 (5.3) cm(2). The purse-string can be used successfully in the distal lower extremity, the long-term cosmetic outcome is good, and the scar has not expanded since the postoperative period.
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Health, Ankara Training and Research Hospital, Cebeci, Ankara. drntanbaser@gmail.com
authors.forename: Nesrin Tan
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Baser
authors.forename: Ayse Yuksel
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Barutcu
authors.forename: Volkan
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Isik
authors.forename: Gurcan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aslan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000637:transplantation; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D013536:Suture Techniques; D013718:Tensile Strength; D013997:Time Factors; D060053:Transplant Donor Site / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*