Preoperative Botulinum Toxin A to Facilitate Midline Closure in Large Chronic Ventral Hernias

Plain-language summary

In patients with large hernias, chronic retraction of the lateral abdominal wall muscles, and visceral contents that are irreducible within the hernia sac, closure of the midline can be difficult or even impossible. Component separation techniques (CST), in combination with transversus abdominis release (TAR), increase the flexibility of the abdominal wall and facilitate fascial medialization. However, these techniques alter the anatomy of the abdominal wall and are associated with higher risks of wound complications, abdominal wall disruption, and abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS). Recently, the preoperative injection of Botulinum Toxin A (BTA) has been proposed as an effective form of chemical component separation of the muscles, or more precisely, chemical relaxation. It has been hypothesized that preoperative chemical paralysis of the lateral abdominal wall muscles through BTA increases abdominal wall compliance and facilitates fascial medialization, thereby reducing the need to resort to CST. However, the current literature still lacks studies evaluating the impact of BTA on predictive scores for myofascial release and the correlation with intraoperative strategies.

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