Abdominal wall reconstruction for desmoid tumour surgery: Case report

Summary

A 38 years old women referred to our institution complaining of a painful lump in the anterior abdominal wall. She underwent ultrasonography (US), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and a computed tomography (CT) biopsy who showed the presence of a desmoid tumour arising in the right abdominal rectus muscle. She underwent surgical excision of the mass and an abdominal wall reconstruction according to the posterior component separation technique, with a large polypropylene mesh reinforcement. The post-operative period was uneventful and at 6 months she shows no clinical nor radiological recurrence. A radical resection with free margins remains the principal determinant of outcome. Non-surgical approaches and adjuvant therapy may be useful for patients with unresectable lesions. The optimal treatment strategy for desmoid tumours still remains unclear. A multidisciplinary approach is always the best strategy to establish the correct treatment.