Abdominal wall reconstruction with intraperitoneal prosthesis in desmoid tumors surgery

Background: desmoid tumor, also known as aggressive fibromatosis, is a rare soft tissue tumor. For those cases localized in the anterior abdominal wall, radical resection and reconstruction with a mesh is indicated. Because the rarity of the disease, randomized trials are lacking, but in reported retrospective series, it is clear that although it is considered a benign lesion, local recurrence is not uncommon. Methods: we analyzed the records of 7 consecutive patients (1 man, 6 women, mean age 35 years, range 25-60 years) with desmoids tumor of anterior abdominal wall. The surgical strategy was the same in all cases: wide surgical excision and immediate plastic reconstruction with ePTFE mesh after intraoperative confirmation by frozen sections of disease-free margins of > 1 cm. Results: No immediate postoperative complications was registered, and no patient developed recurrence after a median follow-up period of 60 months. The long-term mean global health status registered was 100 out of 100. Conclusions: Radical resection aided by intra-operative margin evaluation via frozen sections followed by immediate mesh reconstruction is a safe procedure and can provide definitive cure without functional limitations for patients with desmoids tumors of the anterior abdominal wall.