Clinical application of retrograde medial plantar island flap in repairing tissue defects after resection of forefoot tumors

HE Yang; LI Wenlin; ZHANG Huiying; YANG Ze; XU Fei; XU Miao; WANG Qi; YANG Chao

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1673-7040.2025.11.004

Abstract：Objective To explore the clinical efficacy of using retrograde medial plantar island flap to repair tissue defect wounds after resection of forefoot tumors.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 11 patients with tissue defects following anterior plantar tumor resection,who were admitted to the Department of Burn and Plastic Surgery,Naval Medical Center of PLA from November 2021 to July 2024.Based on the anatomical feature that there is extensive anastomosis between the terminal branch of the medial plantar artery,the lateral plantar artery,the first dorsal metatarsal artery and its plantar deep branch,a retrograde medial plantar is-land flap was designed to repair the tissue defect wounds after resection of forefoot tumors,and the donor site was repaired by direct skin grafting.Dressing removal was performed 7 days postoperatively to assess the survival of skin grafts at the donor sites.After the flaps achieved complete healing,patients were guided to conduct gradual rehabilitation exercises.The color and texture of the flaps,as well as the appearance and function of the feet,were evaluated.Results All the transferred flaps in 11 patients survived,and the skin grafts at the donor sites survived well.During the 6 to 12 months of postoperative follow-up,the transferred flaps exhibited a satisfactory appearance without redundancy,and the motor function of the feet and toes was well preserved.Conclusion The application of retrograde medial plantar island flap yields favorable outcomes in repairing skin and soft tissue defect wounds after resection of forefoot tumors.