Use of split‐thickness plantar skin grafts in the management of leg and foot skin defects |
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Authors: | Hung‐Hui Liu Chun‐Kai Chang Chih‐Han Huang Jen‐Ru Wu Chun‐Yu Chen Dun‐Wei Huang Tzi‐Shiang Chu Kuo‐Feng Hsu Chi‐Yu Wang I‐Han Chiang Kuang‐Ling Ou Chih‐Hsin Wang Niann‐Tzyy Dai Shyi‐Gen Chen Yuan‐Sheng Tzeng |
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Institution: | 1. Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Tri‐Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan;2. Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Tri‐Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan |
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Abstract: | The basic principle of donor site selection is to take skin from areas that will heal with minimal scarring while balancing the needs of the recipient site. For skin loss from the lower legs and feet, the most common harvest site for split‐thickness skin grafts is the anterior or posterior thigh; grafts from the plantar areas have been mostly used to cover the volar aspect of digits and palms. Between September 2015 and September 2017, 42 patients with areas of skin loss on the legs or feet were treated with plantar skin grafts because of their cosmetic benefits and the convenience of the surgical procedure and postoperative wound care. Our technique of harvesting a single layer of split‐thickness skin graft (0.014 in. thick) from a non‐weight‐bearing area of the foot of the injured leg is simple and provided good functional and cosmetic outcomes at both the donor and recipient sites. All patients were very satisfied with the recovery progress and final results. Therefore, in the management of skin defects in the lower legs or feet that comprise less than 1.5% of the total body surface area, our surgical method is a reliable alternative to anterior or posterior thigh skin grafting. |
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Keywords: | lower leg defects plantar skin graft skin grafting |
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