Reconstruction of soft tissue defects of Tendo Achilles region - Deriving a management protocol

Reconstruction of defects in TendoAchilles region presents a challenging problem for the plastic surgeon. A well vascularised reconstruction having good durability in this mobile area which is more prone to repeated friction by footwear makes the task of reconstruction a difficult one. Aim - To select the most suitable method of reconstruction for the various TendoAchilles region defects to derive a protocol for management of such defects. Materials and Methods - 21 patients with TendoAchilles region soft tissue defects reconstructed at our plastic surgery department , irrespective of sizes of defect between August 2009 and July 2011. Local , regional, distant and free flaps wereused for reconstruction . Post operative complications were noted and flap durability followed up.The goal of reconstruction in TendoAchilles region is to provide stable coverage with minimal donor site morbidity