18 patients treated with medial tab-type fasciocutaneous flaps

46 patients were randomly chosen, through Propensity Score Matching (PSM) the matching was performed with the age variable. The types of flaps considered were: 15 cases with sural flap, 18 with soleus flap, and 13 with a gastrocnemius flap

The flap can be taken in different ways depending on the defect. Once the base of the flap is identified, the posterior edge of the tibia is taken as reference; marking of the tab is performed considering that the posterior incision is located 5 cm from the posterior edge of the tibia, and the anterior incision is located longitudinally of the medial region of the tibial diaphysis, the length of the incision depends on the base of the flap and the defect's size.

The posterior incision is made first in the skin, subcutaneous cellular tissue until the fascia is identified; the subfascial flap is dissected to avoid injuring perforators, dissection is completed up to the anterior edge of the flap, if needed direct cutaneous perforators are ligated; once the subfascial plane has been identified and dissected, the tab is completed in its proximal or distal part according to the previous surgical planning. Later, the tab is rotated to the anterior region of the tibia to cover the defect.

This information was taken from he Sculapio software clinical records, the surgical time was measured in minutes from the moment of the incision to the clousure of the surgical planes, and the healing time was measured in days from the immediate postoperative period until the wound epithelization

The data collection was made from the Sculapio software clinical records of the Fundacion Campbell

The complications were descripted from the clinic history recorded by the orthopedic surgeon specialist, the following pathologies were taken into account: necrosis, suture dehiscence, fistula, foreign body granuloma, enlargement of the defect and infection.