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CC BY-NC 4.0 · Arch Plast Surg 2021; 48(06): 699-702
DOI: 10.5999/aps.2021.01186
Extremity/Lymphedema
Case Report

Long-term follow-up of a severely traumatized leg treated with ipsilateral fracture-united fibular transfer in a patient with amputation of the contralateral leg: a case report

Eon Su Kim 
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju Severance Christian Hospital, Wonju, Korea
,
Chae Eun Yang 
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju Severance Christian Hospital, Wonju, Korea
,
Jiye Kim 
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju Severance Christian Hospital, Wonju, Korea
,
Sug Won Kim 
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju Severance Christian Hospital, Wonju, Korea
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Extensive bone loss associated with severe vascular injury remains a challenge for lower extremity reconstruction. The fibular free flap has been utilized for many decades to reconstruct long-segment tibial defects. We present an unusual scenario of unilateral weight-bearing, wherein we salvaged the sole lower extremity by transfer of the fractured ipsilateral fibula and a bipedicled skin flap. A 38-year-old man sustained a severe crush injury in the right leg with loss of circulation. His left lower leg had a soft tissue defect measuring 20×15 cm with an exposed comminuted fracture and a 17-cm tibial defect, along with a segmental fracture of the fibula. Subsequently, we reconstructed the tibial defect by transferring a 17-cm-long section of the ipsilateral fibula. We covered the soft tissue defect with a bipedicled skin flap. The patient eventually began to ambulate independently after surgery.

Keywords

Fibula - Lower extremity - Pedicled flaps - Tibial defect


Publication History

Received: 30 May 2021

Accepted: 14 September 2021

Article published online:
22 May 2022

© 2021. The Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, permitting unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)

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