MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC CALCANEAL OSTEOMYELITIS WITH PULL-THROUGH ABDUCTOR HALLUCIS MUSCLE FLAP - A REPORT OF 3 CASES

Three patients who had chronic osteomyelitis of the calcaneus were tre ated with radical debridement of all involved soft tissue and bone and obliteration of dead space with a pull-through abductor hallucis brev is muscle flap. Two patients had calcaneal osteomyelitis without soft tissue loss resulting from previous comminuted calcaneal fractures whi le a third patient had a large soft tissue defect and calcaneal osteom yelitis resulting from a destructive infection. All of the patients ha d undergone several surgical procedures for treatment of the osteomyel itis with histories ranging 18 months to 30 months. Following treatmen t with the pull-through muscle flap there has been no recurrence over the longterm (>two years). We believe that radical removal of all cont aminated tissue and immediately coverage with a muscle flap provides a n effective single stage treatment of chronic calcaneal osteomyelitis.