title: [Free perforating flap of peroneal artery for repairing the forefoot skin defects].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the clinical techniques and effects of repairing skin defects of the forefoot by free perforating flap nourished by peroneal artery.
  
  
  METHODS
  From June 2007 to June 2011, 11 patients with skin and soft tissue defects of the forefoot were repaired by free peroneal artery perforating flap in emergent or subemergent. There were 10 males and 1 female with an average age of 28.6 years old ranging from 23 to 46 years old. Among them, 4 cases injured for traffic accidents, 3 for crush and 4 for machine strangulation. In all cases, the defect area of forefoot tissue varied from 2.0 cm x 4.0 cm to 4.0 cm x 8.5 cm,and the adopted area varied from 2.5 cm x 4.5 cm to 4.0 cm x 9.0 cm. The operation time was from 6 to 96 h (averaged 31.8 h). The blood vessels were anastomosed end-to-end.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All of the transferred free flaps survived uneventfully. Nine of them were successfully followed up from 6 to 24 months. The appearance, elasticity and functions of flaps were satisfied accompanied with slight damage of donor site although seemed bloated. The smaller donor site could be intimately seamed if necessary.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The vessels anatomy of knee with antegrade extended peroneal artery was relative constant with a moderate thickness and simple operation, is useful to repair small or middle areas of skin defects in forefoot.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hand and Foot Surgery, the First Hospital of PLA, Lanzhou 730030, Gansu, China. 13919766460@163.com
authors.forename: Lin-Ge
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.forename: Ru-Xiang
authors.initials: RX
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Jian-Lei
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Duo-Bao
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Qi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D018409:Foot Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D005545:Forefoot, Human / Q000601:surgery*; D058752:Free Tissue Flaps; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D017695:Soft Tissue Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D055815:Young Adult