Electric burn or crushing injury on dorsum of foot may induce extensive loss of tissue and exposure of bone and tendon. Moreover, vascular injury, thrombosis and infection may threaten the survival of the foot. Espicially, wide exposure of the damaged dorsum of foot aggrevate the infection and maceration. So debridement and covering of the wound is necessary at an early date. Flap surgery has been performed as a covering method on bare bone and tendon of dorsum of foot. Local flap, cross leg flap, or free flap has been used. And nowadays, fasciocutaneous cross leg flap has been performed.
Flap to be covered on dorsum of foot should be this, so it is pleased esthetically and functionally. When the free flap is not indicated due to damaged recipient vasculature in electric burn or crushing injury, fasciocutaneous flap which is axial pattern flap can be covered on dorsum of foot. It can salvage the foot with good blood supply.
Author used crane principle described by Millard. A pedicled fascio-cutaneous flap was used as an engineering crane to lift and transported subcutaneous tissue and fascia from one area and deposited it in another. The pedicle was returned 2 weeks later to its original bed. With this technique, esthetically and functionally good result on dorsum of foot, recipient site and contralateral calf, donor site, can be obtained and to be sacrificed tissue is minimal.
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