Annals of plastic surgery
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Annals of plastic surgery · Nov 2001
Case ReportsUse of distally based saphenous neurofasciocutaneous and musculofasciocutaneous cross-leg flaps in limb salvage.
Neurocutaneous island flaps have been very popular in soft-tissue coverage of the lower extremities. These flaps are based on the arterial network around the superficial sensory nerves. ⋯ The authors used five neurofasciocutaneous and three musculofasciocutaneous flaps successfully as cross-leg flaps for the coverage of relatively large defects of the lower two thirds of the leg and foot in 8 patients. They conclude that reverse saphenous neurofasciocutaneous and musculofasciocutaneous flaps as a cross-leg flap in patients who cannot be reconstructed with other flap alternatives have many advantages over traditional cross-leg procedures, such as short vascularization time, minimal patient discomfort, wide arc of rotation and great versatility, and a safe vascular pattern.