Posterior Tibial Artery Perforator-Pedicled Propeller Flaps in Reconstruction

Soft tissue defects in the lower leg remain a challenge for surgeons due to frequent bone exposure and paucity of soft tissues. The goal in this study was to evaluate the surgical technique and clinical significance of posterior tibial artery perforator-pedicled propeller flaps for reconstruction of defects in the lower leg.

The construction of the lower extremity defects with exposed bone and tendon is considered as the biggest challenge of all body regions in many plastic and reconstructive surgeons. The lower leg regions are in visible areas. Defects recovery and aesthetic consideration should be considered at the same time with the development of the economy and society. Although free flaps have been used to reconstruct these defects, some disadvantages still exist, such as needing microinstruments, long operation time and none like-with-like repair. In this article, a series of patients with soft tissue defects in the lower leg were transplanted with posterior tibial artery perforator-pedicled propeller flaps.