“The use of a dermal substitute and thin skin-grafts in the cure of complex leg ulcers”

BACKGROUND In some chronic leg ulcers, a reconstructive operation using skin grafts may be extremely difficult or is quite likely to fail as a result of the position, the width, and the depth of the lesions. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of a dermal substitute and thin skin grafts in the treatment of patients suffering from deep and wide chronic leg ulcers. MATERIALS & METHODS Twenty-six consecutive patients with leg ulcers at least 1 year old were admitted to the study. The ulcers were large (4100 cm2) and deep (43mm) over at least 50% of the surface area. After surgical debridement of the wounds, the dermal matrix was modeled and applied. After 21 days, the attachment of the artificial dermis was tested, and in positive cases, the patient was re-admitted for ‘‘thin’’ skin grafting. RESULTS In all patients, at the first follow-up, a notable reduction in pain, exudate, and perilesional edema was ascertained. After 2 weeks, the progressive substitution of granulation tissue with new yellow or gold derma became evident in all patients. After 21 days, the dermal matrix was completely integrated with the guest tissue. In 23 patients (88.5%), attachment of the skin graft was complete, and in three patients (11.5%), it was partial but nevertheless larger than 70% of the surface. Even in these cases, complete healing of the lesions was achieved within 4 weeks at most. All patients were checked for a minimum of 3 months, and none suffered an ulcerous recurrence. CONCLUSION In our series, the use of this dermal matrix allowed for the complete refilling of the loss of tissue, the rapid disappearance of pain, and the rapid regeneration of a permanent dermis

Sutureless tension-free hernia repair with Human Fibrin Glue in soccer players with chronic inguinal pain: initial experience

Abstract. Chronic groin pain is a common symptom experienced by soccer players, resulting in many athletes undergoing prolonged periods of conservative treatment. In a high proportion of these cases, however, the cause of groin pain is due to impalpable hernias, thus nullifying the usefulness of a conservative approach. Of the current surgical procedures for inguinal hernia repair, the Lichtenstein technique is widely used. The present study aims to evaluate the efficacy of mesh fixation with human fibrin glue (Tissucol) in open, tension-free inguinal repair, in the treatment of soccer players with groin hernia. A sutureless Lichtenstein technique was employed in 16 consecutive soccer players with primary groin hernia. Inguinal nerves were prepared and preserved. Human fibrin glue was used for mesh fixation, in place of conventional sutures. Results were rated as excellent in all cases, with no reported intra- or postoperative complications. All patients were discharged 4 - 5 h after the operation, and all returned to full pre-injury level sporting-activity, on average, 31 days (range 24 - 42 days) post surgery. This study confirms the efficacy of sutureless tension-free hernia repair with human fibrin glue for the treatment of soccer players suffering from chronic groin pain due to impalpable groin hernia