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Use of bovine pericardium graft for abdominal wall reconstruction in contaminated fields
Luigi D'Ambra1, Stefano Berti, Cosimo Feleppa
1Luigi D'Ambra, Stefano Berti, Cosimo Feleppa, Prospero Magistrelli, Pierfrancesco Bonfante, Emilio Falco, Department of Surgery, S. Andrea Hospital, 19100 La Spezia, Italy.
Aim:
To employ, in such conditions, a biological graft such as bovine pericardium that offers resistance to infection.
Methods:
In our surgical department, from January 2006 to June 2010, 48 patients underwent abdominal wall reconstruction using acellular bovine pericardium; of these 34 patients had a contaminated wound due to diffuse peritonitis (complicated diverticulitis, bowel perforation, intestinal infarction, strangled hernia, etc.) and 14 patients had hernia relapse on infected synthetic mesh.
Results:
In our series, one patient died of multi-organ failure 3 d after surgery. After placement of the pericardium mesh four cases of hernia relapse occurred.
Conclusion:
Recurrence rate is similar to that of prosthetic mesh repair and the application of acellular bovine pericardium (Tutomesh(®), Tutogen Medical Gmbh Germany) is moreover a safe and feasible option that can be employed to manage complicated abdominal wall defects where prosthetic mesh is unsuitable.
