THE RESECTION OF GASTROCNEMIUS-MUSCLES IN AESTHETICALLY DISTURBING CALF HYPERTROPHY

In some patients, oversized calves lead to mental distress and avoidan ce of certain social activities. They hide their legs in pants and see k medical advice. If the thickness of the subcutaneous fat is normal a nd cannot be diminished by liposuction, the oversized cal ies are caus ed by pure muscle hypertrophy. Using the gastrocnemius for muscle flap s in covering knee defects: does not impair the function of thr patien t's leg; therefore, resection of the total gastrocnemius muscle for ae sthetic calf reduction was performed in 15 consecutive patients withou t any lasting impairment with stability or sports activities. The pati ent was placed in a prone position, and thr muscles were bluntly freed and pulled through two incisions of 5-cm length in the hollow of the knee and above the Achilles tendon. The resected muscles weighed betwe en 110 and 810 g each. In two patients, the sural nerve was stretched or cut during the operation. The consequent numbness of the lateral an kle and sole persisted for 9 and 13 months, respectively. All 15 patie nts were satisfied with the results; none complained of lack of stabil ity or insecurity in walking; and all became active in sports or chang ed their dress habits.