title: Evaluation of Surgisis for patch repair of abdominal wall defects in children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Abdominal wall defects in children are not always amenable to primary repair and may require a patch. The ideal material has yet to be established. We sought to evaluate our experience using the bioabsorbable material Surgisis (Cook Surgical, Bloomington, IN) for abdominal closure.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective chart review of abdominal wall defects repaired with Surgisis in our institution from 2000 to 2010 was performed. Data extracted included cause of defect, age at operation, possibility of skin coverage, recurrence, length of follow-up, and rate of wound infection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirteen patients were identified. Cause of defect was gastroschisis (n = 2), ventral hernia after diaphragmatic hernia repair (n = 2), and omphalocele (n = 9). At median follow-up of 60 months (range, 10-90), 5 (38%) of 13 patients recurred, and 1 patient recurred twice. All recurrences required subsequent patch closure. Six instances of wound infection required antibiotics. None required patch removal. There was a trend toward more frequent recurrence among infants undergoing patch repair (3/4 recurrences in this group) than neonates (1/4 recurrences) or children older than 18 months (1/5 recurrences).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that Surgisis is moderately successful in the repair of pediatric abdominal wall defects. We noted a trend toward a higher recurrence rate in infants. Further studies investigating timing of repair and alternative biosynthetic materials are warranted.
authors.affiliation: Division of General and Thoracic Surgery, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Alana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Beres
authors.forename: Emily R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Christison-Lagay
authors.forename: Rodrigo L P
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Romao
authors.forename: Jacob C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Langer
mesh_terms: D058107:Abdominal Wound Closure Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D020341:Absorbable Implants; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D020139:Gastroschisis / Q000601:surgery; D006548:Hernia, Diaphragmatic / Q000601:surgery; D006554:Hernia, Umbilical / Q000601:surgery; D006555:Hernia, Ventral / Q000601:surgery; D065630:Hernias, Diaphragmatic, Congenital; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials