Functional lower limb salvage with an osteocutaneous filet flap of the foot.

Abstract

An osteocutaneous foot filet flap based on the posterior tibial vessels was successfully used to provide tibial coverage in a patient requiring a below-knee amputation following a high-voltage electrical injury. Addition of the calcaneus to the standard foot filet flap provided a vascularized bone graft that served to both lengthen the tibia and secure the flap via a tibial-calcaneal synostosis. The synostosis provided firm anchoring of the flap and allowed for a partial end-bearing, below-knee prosthesis.