State of the art in open abdomen and complex hernia treatment

More than 100 surgeons from 13 countries exchange ideas on the topic of “State of the art – in the treatment of open abdomens and complex hernias” as well as on fascial traction as a new therapy option

On 30 September 2022, more than 100 renowned surgeons and experts from 13 countries met in Kerpen near Cologne for the symposium “State of the art in open abdomen and complex hernia treatment” and intensively exchanged ideas about the possibilities of using fascial traction as a new therapy option in abdominal wall surgery.

On the topic of open abdomen, not only were impressive case studies of complex abdominal wall closures presented, but also the participation of new centres in the planned prospective international register study on OA treatment was planned. The fasciotens®Pediatric, specially developed for newborns and infants with abdominal wall defects, was also particularly well received and was presented by Prof. Rolle, Secretary General of World Pediatric Surgeons (WOFAPS).

There were also some exciting updates on the topic of complex hernias, such as evaluations from the hernia register, guidelines and possibilities for the preoperative use of Botox, interesting case studies on the use of intraoperative fascial traction (IFT) and the planned randomised study with this procedure (Prof. Fortelny, Dr. Kukleta, Prof. Niebuhr, Dr. Eucker and many more). Furthermore, Dr. Bloemendaal presented the convincing possibility of combining IFT with robotic surgery.

A total of 12 exciting lectures were held by a scientific faculty from 11 countries, which provided interesting impulses for professional and personal exchange.

All participants agreed that fascial traction has firmly established itself as a new tool in abdominal wall surgery, both in open abdomen and in hernia surgery.