[Reversed musculus biceps femoris flap for covering a defect of the distal thigh].

We report the case of a 30-year-old female patient, who had suffered a grade III open femur fracture in a motor vehicle accident 14 weeks prior to being transferred to the trauma department of the University Hospital in Bonn. Upon admission to our unit, posttraumatic osteitis, an unstable fracture following compression plating, and a soft tissue defect of the anterolateral distal thigh were discovered. Following removal of the hardware and stabilization of the fracture with external fixation, the infection was brought under control. Because the patient refused the time-consuming segmental transport utilizing the callus distraction technique, local muscle transfer and shortening of the femur were carried out. The most lateral of the hamstring muscles, the biceps femoris, was used as a distally based muscle flap utilizing a delay technique. With the help of a reversed biceps femoris flap, the soft tissue defect was closed, the infection subsided and the fracture healed. The surgical technique is outlined.