OC-006 INTRAOPERATIVE FASCIA TRACTION FOR THE TREATMENT OF LARGE ABDOMINAL WALL/INCISIONAL HERNIAS (W3, EHS)

Abstract

Abstract Aim To evaluate the effectiveness, clinical practicability, and complication rate of the fascial traction procedure for the treatment of large ventral hernias. Method This observational study evaluated 90 patients from 1 specialised center with an intraoperatively measured fascial distance of more than 10 cm who were treated by Intraoperative Fascia Traction – IFT- (abdominal wall stretching) using the fasciotens® hernia traction procedure. Results Fascial gap measured pre-operatively ranged from 10 to 44 cm, with most patients (94%) having a fascial above 15 cm (W3 according to the European Hernia Society classification). The mean fascial distance was reduced from 16.1 ± 0.8 to 5.8 ± 0.7 cm (stretch gain 10.2 ± 0.7 cm, p < 0.0001, Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-ranks test). A reduction in fascial distance of at minimum 50% was achieved in three quarters of the patients, and in half of the treated patients the reduction in fascial distance amounted to even more than 70% The closure rate achieved by fascial traction after a mean surgical duration of 207.3 ± 11.0 minutes was 90% (81/90). Postoperative complications occurred in 7 patients (8%). Re-operation was required in 4 patients (4.5%). Conclusion This described intraoperative fascia traction (IFT) method is a new, promising procedure for abdominal wall closure in large ventral hernias. The presented results demonstrate a high effectiveness, a good clinical practicability and a low complication rate of the Intraoperative fascia traction (IFT) method.