The Effects of Preoperative Botulinum Toxin A Injection on Abdominal Wall Reconstruction.

Abstract Background Fascial closure significantly reduces postoperative complications and hernia recurrence after abdominal wall reconstruction (AWR), but can be challenging in massive ventral hernias. Methods A prospective single-institution cohort study was performed to examine the effects of preoperative injection of botulinum toxin A (BTA) in patients undergoing AWR for midline or flank hernias. Results A total of 108 patients underwent BTA injection with average 243 units, mean 32.5 days before AWR, without complications. Comorbidities included diabetes (31%), history of smoking (27%), and obesity (mean body mass index 30.5 ± 7.7). Hernias were recurrent in 57%, massive (mean defect width 15.3 ± 5.5 cm; hernia sac volume 2154 ± 3251 cm3) and had significant loss of domain (mean 46% visceral volume outside abdominal cavity). Contamination was present in 38% of patients. Fascial closure was achieved in 91%, with 57% requiring component separation techniques (CSTs). Subxiphoidal hernias needed a form of CST in 88% compared with 50% for hernia not extending subxiphoidal (P  Conclusions In patients with massive ventral hernias, the use of preoperative BTA injections for AWR is safe and is associated with high fascial closure rates and excellent recurrence rates.