Transplantation of free fibula composite tissue flap to repair bone and soft tissue defect after open fracture of proximal tibial

Objective To explore the clinical application and effect of free fibula composite tissue flap trans-plantation to repair bone and soft tissue defect after open fracture of proximal tibial. Methods From June, 2012 to June, 2018, free fibula composite tissue flap transplantations were applied to repair bone and soft tissue defect after open fracture of proximal tibial in 11 cases. Of the 11 cases, there were 10 males and 1 female(their ages ranged from 32 to 56, 36 on average); Six cases were caused by traffic accident, and 5 by crash. There were 3 fresh wounds and 8 chronic and infective wounds. Free fibular flaps were used in 7 cases, and free fibular flexor hallucis myocutaneous flaps were used in 4 cases. The fibular length with transplantation was 7-18 cm. The area of flaps or muscle flaps was ranged from 4 cm×8 cm to 8 cm×20 cm. Bone fracture healing was observed at 3, 6 and 12 months after operation. The function of injured extremity was evaluated in 1 year after surgical operation. Results All were successfully repaired, and composite tissue flaps survived. Of which, 10 wounds healed by first intention, and 1 wound healed by secondary intention, with the healing time of 12-18 days. All 11 cases were followed-up. The mean followed-up time was 18 months. The bone healing time ranged from 6 to 9 months (7 months on average). The Enneking Score System was applied to evaluate the leg function. Of the 11 cases, the mean scores was 25 (ranged from 22 to 27). The donor sites were not found malfunctional. Conclusion Transplantation of free fibula composite tissue flap can reduce the treatment time with good mechanical strength. It is an ideal method to repair bone and soft tissue defect after open fracture of proximal tibial. Key words: Fibula composite tissue flap; Fracture of tibial; Open fracture; Microsurgical technique