Complicated soft tissue defects of the diabetic foot often call for alternative methods to traditional primary closure. Despite the popularity of microvascular free flaps, local muscle flaps can offer reliable reconstruction for these challenging wounds with shorter surgical times and reduced complication rates. In this article, the authors describe the successful use of the abductor hallucis muscle flap and external fixation for soft tissue reconstruction of a chronic Charcot foot wound and osteomyelitis in a diabetic patient.
Keywords: Charcot neuroarthropathy; diabetic foot; external fixation; muscle flaps; osteomyelitis.