Objective: The aim of diabetic foot ulcer reconstruction is to close wounds with a soft tissue of appropriate width and thickness that allows the patient to walk. Tissue reconstruction of appropriate fineness in foot dorsum is ensured with skin grafts. However, since tendon and bony tissues are often exposed in foot dorsum defects, it is normally not possible to perform reconstruction with a skin graft. By negative pressure therapy (NPT) exposed tendons and bone will be covered with granulation tissue. In this study, we describe patient who had diabetic foot dorsum defects with exposed tendons and bone, which were completely covered with the granulation tissue after NPT and this made it possible to perform extremely fine graft reconstructions.

Material and Method: The study included diabetic patients with foot dorsum defects with exposed tendons and bones who were treated with NPT between 2013 and 2016.

Results: In that period 18 diabetic patients with foot dorsum defects with exposed tendons and bones who were treated with NPT. On average, patients’ wounds were 25.28 cm² and they underwent 5.9 NBT sessions during 28.7 hospital days. The defects of all patients were reconstructed with grafts. In the one-year postoperative follow-ups, there were no problems; all patients were mobile and could wear comfortable shoes.

Conclusion: Graft reconstruction after NBT is a reliable treatment option for foot dorsum defects in diabetic patients.