Reconsidering the soleus muscle flap for coverage of wounds of the distal third of the leg.

Traditionally, cross-leg flaps and microsurgical flaps have been used to reconstruct defects of the distal third of the leg. In the authors' experience, the soleus muscle has also provided suitable tissue for coverage of these lesions in a notable number of cases. During a 2-year period, the authors treated 28 patients who required flap coverage of defects of the lower third of the leg. In this group, the soleus muscle was used successfully in 8 patients. All of these procedures resulted in healed wounds. The remaining patients underwent reconstruction with microsurgical flaps, fasciocutaneous local flaps, and a gastrocnemius muscle flap. Their experience has demonstrated that the soleus muscle is a valuable tool and should be included in the treatment algorithm for reconstructing lesions of the distal third of the lower extremity.