Abstract:
Purpose: The ideal treatment of omphalocele and gastroschisis is primary full-thickness closure of the abdominal wall defect. Several surgical techniques have been described to overcome the problems, however, no definitive solution has been found so far. We have investigated whether the abdominal wall defects can be primarily repaired by using abdominal fasciocutaneous flaps. Methods: Ten rats weighing 280-320 gm, were devided into two groups (i.e. experimental and control). A full thickness excision was done on the lateral abdominal wall bilaterally to reduce the intraabdominal volume by 78% on all of them. In the experimental group, the defect was closed by using a fasciocutaneous flap which consisted of the skin and anterior sheet of the rectus muscle. Primary abdominal closure was performed in the control group. Results: Following the procedures, 95.5% increase in the intraabdominal volume was achieved in the experimental group (p < 0.01). On the postoperative 17-19th days in both groups abdominal volume of the rats were found to be increased. No herniation, diastasis nor evisceration was observed in the experimental group when the intraabdominal pressure was increased up to 40 cm H2O with saline injection. It was also recorded that inferior vena cava pressure was correlated with intraabdominal pressure. Conclusion: It is concluded that abdominal wall defects could be repaired by using fasciocutaneous rectus flaps.