Lateral lower leg skin flap.

Use of a lower leg lateral skin flap in 7 patients since January 1982 is described. Satisfactory results were obtained in 6 of 7 patients. The blood supply of this new flap is based on the peroneal artery, which gives rise to cutaneous or musculocutaneous branches to nourish the flap. The venous blood of the flap is drained by the venae comites accompanying these cutaneous or musculocutaneous branches. In clinical practice, the beginning portion of the peroneal artery and the vein arising from the posterior tibial vein are used for vascular anastomosis. The caliber of the peroneal artery is 2.5 to 3.0 mm, and that of the peroneal vein is 3 to 4 mm. The vascular pedicle can be as long as 8 to 12 cm. In 4 of these patients, the flaps were freely transferred using a microvascular technique; in the remaining 3, a reversed transfer for treating defects over the foot was used.