As a percent of amputations involving the lower extremity, those around the foot and ankle are becoming increasingly common (Fig. 15.1). With advances in vascular and perfusion assessment and improvements in foot prostheses and footwear, success with ankle and partial foot amputations, as measured by functional, independent living, seems to be improving. When it is determined that limb salvage is not in a patient’s best interest, ablation by amputation or disarticulation should be viewed as a reconstructive procedure rather than a treatment failure.
