Thursday, March 23, 2006
9867

Use of Integra Dermal Regeneration Template for Large Defects of the Sole of the Foot

Roshini Gopinathan, MD

Summary: Purpose: Soft tissue defects of the sole of the foot can be challenging to reconstruct because of limited availability of local flaps. Skin grafts over weight bearing areas tend to be unstable and frequently require free tissue transfer. We used Integra to reconstruct two large defects on the sole of the foot. Methods and materials: Integra artificial skin (Integra Life Sciences Corp, Plainboro, NJ) is a dermal template consisting of bovine collagen, chondroitin-6-sulfate, and a silastic membrane. In the past few years it has achieved widespread use in the treatment of burns, both acute, and in delayed reconstruction. We used Integra in two patients with large defects on the sole of the foot. The first patient was an elderly male who had radical resection of an extensive melanoma. The second patient had resection of recurrent fibromatosis of the sole of the foot. Results and Conclusions: The wounds healed well and both patients were able to achieve full weight bearing ambulation, and no recurrence of disease. Integra can be used for reconstruction of defects in the sole of the foot with good functional outcomes.