Reconstruction of Plantar Forefoot in Diabetic Foot Ulcers with Microvascular Tissue Transfer Using Tunneled Pedicle with Dorsal Anastomosis.

Traditionally, the free flaps to the plantar forefoot region were based on the donor vessels of the posterior tibial artery and its branches around the ankle. To access the posterior tibial artery, the whole of the sole needs to be dissected, and this adds to the morbidity of the procedure. Herein, we describe the use of the dorsalis pedis artery as a recipient vessel through trans-metatarsal pedicle route for the microvascular reconstruction of plantar forefoot defects in diabetic foot ulcers. This technique has been mentioned earlier,1 but the use of this technique in a large series of patients has not been described.