Publication:

An analysis of post traumatic leg and foot defects

Background Management of lower extremity trauma with bone and soft tissue injury is a challenging task with the aim of giving early recovery and durable good quality skin cover according to the skin defect and analyze various reconstructive options at various levels of injury. Our aim of the study is to analyze various reconstructive options for traumatic skin loss involving lower limbs especially knee and below knee, and analyze the incidence of age, sex and etiology of traumatic defects.

Methods Prospective study in our plastic surgery department in the period of 24 months, with all the cases of traumatic defects of leg and foot where included. All age and sex patients were included.

Results Most common cause for traumatic leg and foot defects are road traffic accidents followed by accidental fall and others, most commonly in males amounting 73%, children 10% and  females 17%, among the skin and soft tissue  defects upper and lower 1/3 leg defects are predominant. Among the soft tissue coverage split thickness skin graft dominating about 60% of cases, flaps 30% of cases, among the flaps 70% are fasciocutaneous flaps predominantly inferiorly based  and 30% are muscle and musculocutaneous flaps, among the muscle predominantly soleus muscle flap was used to cover the defect.

Conclusions Road traffic accidents dominating the cause for leg and foot defects , males are more commonly affected  and upper one third leg defects are predominant for soft tissue coverage split thickness skin graft are commonest procedures followed that cutaneous and muscle flaps.