title: The role of plastic surgery for soft tissue coverage of the diabetic foot and ankle.
abstract: The goal of wound healing is to obtain the best closure through the least morbid means. In the surgical treatment of the diabetic foot and ankle, the reconstructive foot and ankle surgeon is tasked with the challenge of repairing a variety of tissue defects. The decision for wound closure depends on the location of the wound and host factors. In order of increasing complexity, the clinician should consider the reconstruction decision ladder algorithm. Wound evaluation coupled with the knowledge of various closure techniques and their indications will arm the surgeon with the tools for a successful closure.
authors.affiliation: Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, and Anesthesia, Yale School of Medicine, 800 Howard Street, New Haven, CT 06519, USA. Electronic address: peter.b@snet.net.
authors.forename: Peter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Blume
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Donegan
authors.forename: Brian M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000842:Ankle; D017719:Diabetic Foot / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D018579:Patient Selection; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D013524:Surgical Flaps
keywords: Diabetic foot and ankle; Flaps; Skin grafts; Soft tissue coverage; Wound closure; Wound healing