Effectiveness of Sutureless Abdominal Wall Closure for Gastroschisis

Abstract

Purpose : Sutureless abdominal wall closure (SC) for gastroschisis is cosmetically superior to surgical closure. We compared the two procedures (conventional surgical closure and SC) in terms of clinical outcome.
Methods : Between 1993 and 2011, 15 cases of gastroschisis were treated in our institution. Medical records were reviewed retrospectively with regard to gestational age, birth weight, procedure, operating time, duration of respiratory support (RS), time to start feeding (SF), time to full feeding (FF) and the length of hospital stay (HS). The parameters were compared in each group.
Results : Of the 15 patients, 10 had primary closure either by conventional surgical closure (Group A1, n=8) or SC (Group A2, n=2). Five had delayed closure either by surgical closure (Group B1, n=2) after placement of the silastic silo or by SC (Group B2, n=3) after placement of the silo using the Wound retractor®. In primary closure, SF, FF and HS were shorter in group A2. In delayed closure, SF, FF and HS were shorter in group B2 than in group B1.
Conclusion : SC is likely to improve postoperative clinical outcome in both primary and delayed closure compared to conventional surgical closure.