Management of abdominal textilomas: A retrospective study

Textilomas are an infrequent but well-known surgical complication. The authors report a series of cases to describe the frequency of abdominal textilomas, the circumstances in which they occur, their clinical and morphological characteristics, and their management, to contextualise these data, which may serve as a basis for preventive measures.

This was a monocentric, retrospective, descriptive study conducted over 10 years at a tertiary hospital. The circumstances of the initial intervention, the diagnosis, and the treatment of textiloma cases treated in the said centre were documented.

Twenty-one (21) cases of abdominal textiloma were collected, with an annual frequency of 2.1 cases/year. The cases were predominantly female, with a female-to-male sex ratio of 1.62. The median age of the patients was 37 years. The initial operation was performed in a public facility in 80.95 % of cases. Myomectomy was the main indication (23.81 %). The time for signs to develop before consultation was 16.47 ± 8.82 days. Textiloma extraction was performed in an emergency in 61.90 % of cases. We noted morbidity (38.10 %) and mortality (9.52 %) in our patients.

Textilomas are a rare surgical complication, albeit with a high morbidity and mortality rate. Their clinical polymorphism and the difficulties of diagnosis and management mean that prevention is of prime importance.