Comparison of Outcome of Adipofascial Sural Flap Versus Sural Fasciocutaneous Flap for non-Weight Bearing Defects of Foot

Objective: To study the outcomes of adipofascial sural flap versus sural fasciocutaneous flap for non-weight bearing defects of foot in terms of operative time and aesthetic outcome. Study Design: Quasi-experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Plastic Surgery, Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan Jun 2020 to 20 Jun 2022. Methodology: A total of 88 patients diagnosed with lower limb skin defects requiring reconstruction were included in our study. Patients who had received previous surgery or were immunodeficient were excluded. All patients received a sural flap, patients in Group A received a fasciocutaneous flap while those in Group B received adipofascial flaps. Patients were assessed at three months for cosmetic outcomes via a 5-Point Likert scale, as well as for range of motion. Data was analyzed by SPSS 26.0. Results: Adipofascial flaps have a better cosmetic outcome as compared to fasciocutaneous flaps at three months post-procedure, (p=0.046). Total recipient site complications were 5(11.4%) with fasciocutaneous flaps and 7(15.9%) with adipofascial flaps, (p=0.534). Donor site complications occurred in 5(11.4%) cases with fasciocutaneous flaps, while this number was 2(4.5%) with adipofascial flaps, (p=0.237). Conclusion: The adipofascial flap has a better cosmetic outcome with a similar frequency of occurrence of complications when compared to fasciocutaneous flaps.