The extensor digitorum brevis island flap: possible applications based on anatomy.

In the past few years, the proximally based extensor digitorum brevis island flap has been recognized as a useful method in the reconstruction of the lower extremity. The major goal of this study, which was performed in 16 cadavers, was to show the possible application of the extensor digitorum brevis island flap based on its anatomy. The vascularization and morphology of the muscle were also studied.

[Quality assurance in surgery].

Since 1990 the Surgical Department of the Kantonsspital Schaffhausen has been taking part in a quality assurance program organized by the "Bundesland Baden-Württemberg". The traceroperation "appendectomy" will be used to demonstrate the principle of quality assurance and our results for the years 1991 and 1992 will be presented.

[Loss of the extremity despite patent vascular reconstruction].

This retrospective study concerns 8 patients, who had successful vascular reconstruction for ischaemia of a lower extremity but nevertheless needed lower or upper leg amputation. The analysis shows that in four patients (one of them diabetic) misjudgement was the cause of failure. The other four patients all had diabetic angiopathy.

[Treatment of an infected inguinal wound following vascular reconstruction with a sartorius muscle flap].

Infection or breakdown of a wound in the groin is a dreaded complication in vascular surgery. On 8 patients with such impending or declared wound complications, a distally pedicaled sartorius muscle-flap was performed immediately after wound debridement, to cover the autologeous or alloplastic vascular graft. In all but one case the groin healed promptly.