One-stage treatment of open tibial fracture in a child using a distally based sural artery flap: a case report.

Abstract

Open fractures in children have a high level of morbidity and require early treatment. This case describes the successful treatment of a child who sustained an open tibial fracture with soft tissue loss. The fracture was stabilized with a monolateral external fixator devised in our clinic, and the soft tissue loss was covered with a distally based sural artery flap. The flap is simple, can be done quickly, and a surgeon does not need microsurgical or specialty training to perform the operation. This combined use of external fixation and distally based sural artery flap is a straightforward technique in distal tibial open fractures of children with soft tissue loss.