Managing severe traumatic abdominal-wall injuries, a monocentric experience.

Area of Science:

• Trauma Surgery
• Abdominal Wall Reconstruction
• Surgical Outcomes

Background:

• Abdominal wall injuries (AWI) are increasingly recognized with CT use.
• Severity ranges from minor defects to burst abdomen with evisceration.
• Severe AWI often involves significant intra-abdominal lesions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze severe abdominal wall injuries.
• To evaluate surgical techniques and outcomes.
• To determine factors influencing hernia recurrence.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of severe AWI cases treated at a single center.
• Inclusion of trauma type, clinical presentation, surgical technique, and follow-up data.
• Analysis of eight cases with diverse injury mechanisms.

Main Results:

• Eight severe AWI cases (age 11-85) from various traumas were analyzed.
• Seven cases had associated intra-abdominal lesions.
• Mesh augmentation used in three cases; overall recurrence rate was 25%.

Conclusions:

• Prompt surgical exploration is vital for severe AWI due to associated injuries.
• Fasciomuscular defects require timely management to prevent strangulation, even without intra-abdominal lesions.
• Mesh augmentation is reserved for extensive tissue loss cases to allow tension-free repair.