Recipient Vessel Dissection Technique in Diabetic Foot Patients with Perivascular Fibrosis

Abstract

Diabetic foot ulcers are becoming more prevalent, and microsurgical free flaps are gaining popularity in salvaging the foot after postdebridement. The perivascular fibrosis around the recipient vessels often makes the dissection of vessels difficult. In this article, we describe a technique of dissection in such situations where fibrosis and dissection of vessels are fraught with danger. In the period from November 2020 to May 2023, 72 free flap reconstructions of the diabetic foot were done at our institute using this technique, with a success rate of 95.8%.

Keywords

• vessel
• dissection
• perivascular fibrosis
• free flap
• microsurgery
• dabetic foot
• reconstruction