A challenging treatment for an ischaemic ulcer in a patient with Buerger's disease: vascular reconstruction and local flap coverage.

An ischaemic heel ulcer in a patient with Buerger's disease was reconstructed using an in situ saphenous vein graft combined with a local flap. The bypass was sufficient to restore blood supply to the ischaemic limb but a flap was necessary to cover the persistent heel ulcer, which remained after revascularisation. One month after bypass surgery the ulcer was debrided and the resulting defect was covered with a lateral supramalleolar flap. The postoperative course was uneventful and the flap donor site healed well. When treating ischaemic ulcers in a patient with Buerger's disease, vascular reconstruction should be considered first in order to salvage the limb. After revascularisation, a local flap can be used to cover a persistent defect but very few local flaps have been reported. This report is the first published case of successful local flap transfer after bypass surgery in a patient with Buerger's disease. We think that a local flap is one possible treatment for a non-healing ulcer after revascularisation. Copyright 2001 The British Association of Plastic Surgeons.