SALVAGE OF A THROUGH-KNEE AMPUTATION LEVEL USING A FREE FILLET OF SOLE FLAP

A young adult male sustained a compound crural fracture with a 15 cm d efect of tibia and fibula, and an extensive soft-tissue loss of the lo wer leg and knee joint. A free fillet of sole flap was raised on the a mputated foot and transferred to the soft-tissue defect around the fem oral condyles in order to prevent an above-knee amputation. Intact vas cularisation and sensation of the flap were secured by microsurgical a nastomoses of the popliteal and posterior tibial vessels and the sciat ic and tibial nerves. The patient was rehabilitated rapidly with a pro sthesis. At the 12-month follow-up, he demonstrated excellent ''foot'' sensibility, stable soft-tissue coverage of the stump, and an optimal functional result. (C) 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.