Abductor Hallucis Muscle Flap and Staged Medial Column Arthrodesis for the Chronic Ulcerated Charcot Foot With Concomitant Osteomyelitis

Midfoot ulceration is a common sequela of the diabetic Charcot rocker-bottom deformity. Because redundant soft tissue from a non— weight-bearing area is often scarce in this area of the foot, soft-tissue coverage may be challenging. Wound closure may be difficult to achieve with local wound care and off-loading techniques if the predisposing deformity that caused the ulceration is not addressed. In the same setting, surgical reconstruction is often feared when open wounds are present, given the potential for infection. Approaching these wounds with a rational stepwise and staged approach is prudent to eradicate the underlying infection and also to achieve durable wound closure and long-term deformity correction. The authors present the use of a local muscle flap and circular external fixation for closure of a recalcitrant Charcot plantar-medial midfoot ulceration and also discuss different adjunctive modalities to facilitate soft-tissue reconstruction in the diabetic foot.