title: Vacuum-assisted closure therapy in the management of patients undergoing vulvectomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether systematic postoperative VAC therapy could improve vulvectomy healing.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed medical data from 54 women who underwent in the period of March 2006 to December 2009 radical vulvectomy or wide local vulvectomy with defect volume >40cm(3). Patients were divided into two groups according to immediate postoperative care. Patients treated with systematic vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) therapy immediately after surgery were included in the "VAC group" while patients receiving conventional care (CC) were included in the "CC group".
  
  
  RESULTS
  The characteristics of the VAC group (n=30) and CC group (n=24) were similar and there were no significant differences in operative data, histological results or oncologic follow-up. The median length of use of VAC was 11 days after surgery (6-38). The length of hospital stay for patients in the VAC group and CC group was 17.8 (±8.7) and 18.4 days (±9.9) (p=0.8) respectively. The lengths of complete healing were 44.4 (±18.4) vs. 60.2 (±28.7) days (p=0.0175) respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our study we proved that using VAC dressing immediately after vulvectomy (at least 6cm×7cm) for 11 days reduces the total length of cicatrization by approximately 16 days.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Center-Centre Oscar Lambret, 3 rue Frédéric Combemale, Lille Cedex, France. f-narducci@o-lambret.fr
authors.forename: Fabrice
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Narducci
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Samouelian
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Marchaudon
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Koenig
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fournier
authors.forename: Jerome
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Phalippou
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Leblanc
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000601:surgery*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002278:Carcinoma in Situ / Q000601:surgery*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008875:Middle Aged; D054843:Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy; D010145:Paget Disease, Extramammary / Q000601:surgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014844:Vulva / Q000601:surgery*; D014846:Vulvar Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D014945:Wound Healing