Background: Soft tissue defects of the ankle region
continue to present a complex reconstructive challenge to
the reconstructive surgeon. Many flaps have been used to
rebuild these defects, and each flap has its own merits and
drawbacks. This randomized controlled study was designed
to compare between the peroneal artery perforator flap and
the posterior tibial artery perforator flap for the ankle region
reconstruction and finding out advantages and disadvantages
of each flap.
Methods: Between July 2020 and April 2022, 22 patients
presented with soft tissue defects around the ankle with
exposed vital structures as bones and tendons, who were
categorized into two equal groups group 1: The peroneal
artery perforator flap group (11 patients) and group 2: The
posterior tibial artery perforator flap group (11 patients).
Post-operative complications were the primary comparative
parameters.
Results: In total 22 patients with tissue defects around
the ankle region were operated with either the peroneal artery
perforator flap and the posterior tibial artery perforator flap < br />11 cases in each group, the post-operative flap complications
as total flap loss and distal flap necrosis were (18.2%), (27.3%)
receptively in the peroneal group and (27.3%), (36.4%) in
the posterior tibial group and the mean time of flap elevation
was longer in the posterior tibial group (106.82min) compared
to the peroneal group with (64.55min).
Conclusion: The peroneal artery perforator flap is better
elevated as pedicled while the posterior tibial artery perforator
flap better elevated as propeller.