Types of Wound Closure: Pedicle flaps Pedicle flaps can be used to provide soft tissue closure with a defined blood flow and innervation. These are particularly desirable when the wound tissue is relatively avascular, such as bone, cartilage, or tendon, or has been rendered avascular by radiation or scarring. In the accompanying images, a large ulcer on the plantar surface of a diabetic foot has been closed with a "bridge" created from the soft tissue (digital artery preserved) that formerly enclosed the head of the first metatarsal bone and tendon. The bridge is rotated to cover the debrided ulcer site and sewn in. Video Resource: Use of Pedicled Flaps in the Surgical Salvage of the Diabetic Foot, Christopher E. Attinger, M.D., 1993 (VHS 35 minutes) available from Ciné-Med's ACS/USSC Educational Library (Integumentary System) back