Harvesting the abductor digiti minimi as a muscle plug with the lateral calcaneal artery skin flap.

The abductor digiti minimi muscle flap and the lateral calcaneal artery skin flap were raised as one combined flap and were used to cover plantar heel wounds with chronic osteomyelitis of the calcaneus. The combined flap was used successfully in 4 patients. The muscle component of the flap obliterated the dead space and provided a vascularized muscle over the debrided calcaneus, and the skin component acted as a sensate flap in the plantar heel.