Excision of Strip of Deep Fascia to Reduce Seroma Formation and Extrusion of Tissue Expanders
Condition: Seroma
MeSH terms: Seroma
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Tissue expansion has enjoyed a wide range of applications since the technique was popularized
      in the latter quarter of the last century. During the expansion process, subcutaneous fat
      liquefies, skin becomes thinner, muscles atrophy, blood inflow increases, and lymphatics get
      occluded. All these factors predispose to seroma formation and implant extrusion.

      A similar problem occurred with lymphoedema patients, and one of the lines of treatment was
      creation of a connection to the deep lymphatics to facilitate absorption of accumulated
      fluid. The same principle is to be extrapolated to patients having tissue expanders inserted
      in the neck and limbs and its effect is to be noted on the incidence of seroma .
    

Detailed description: 
      The techniques of tissue expansion have been used for many years to expand normal skin
      adjacent to the site of a defect. Initially described by Neuman in 1953, it gained widespread
      popularity in the eighth decade of the last century after the work of Radovan, and has been
      progressively popular since.

      The physiology of prolonged tissue expansion was not just a matter of stretching skin, but
      the actual formation of additional new skin which had all the attributes of the original
      tissue. Austad et al. postulated that tissue expansion caused a decrease in cell density in
      the basal layer of the skin and that cell density might regulate skin mitotic activity. A
      lower cell density resulted in a greater cell proliferation, resulting in growth of
      additional skin. Inflation of the tissue expander was found to cause a threefold elevation of
      epidermal mitotic activity within 24 hours, followed by a gradual return to normal baseline
      over 2 to 5 days. Conversely, deflation of the expander caused a transient decrease in
      epidermal mitotic activity. The increase in mitosis returned to normal 4 weeks after
      expansion.

      The dermis and subcutaneous tissues were thinned as a result of tissue expansion leading to
      an overall decrease in tensile strength of the expanded skin (5-7) and this persisted 36
      weeks after expansion. The subcutaneous layer of fat was intolerant to stretching causing
      significant thinning. With faster expansion, fat necrosis could be seen. Pressure necrosis on
      subcutaneous fat led to liquefaction and seroma formation. With progression of expansion
      compression of superficial lymphatics resulted in their occlusion and lymph accumulation.
      Furthermore, the muscle layer in pigs, which was similar to the platysmal layer in humans,
      tended to atrophy with maximal expansion. As expansion proceeded, there was an increase in
      the number and size of the blood vessels within flaps supplied by random-pattern vessels and,
      if present, axial vessels. These changes corresponded to the demonstrated increase in blood
      flow to expanded flaps. In the study by Saxby this lead to surviving lengths after expansion
      being 50 percent greater than the delayed controls, and nearly 150 percent greater than
      comparable flaps raised acutely.

      These histologic and physiologic findings would explain the high incidence of seroma
      formation with tissue expanders especially those inserted in areas rich in subcutaneous fat,
      such as the neck and limbs. During the expansion process, subcutaneous fat liquefies, skin
      becomes thinner, muscles atrophy, blood inflow increases, and lymphatics get occluded. All
      these factors when coupled with the fact that mere presence of a foreign body incites fluid
      exudation would be a frank invitation for seroma formation and implant extrusion.

      Reported rates of seroma varied in the literature between 5-18%. Its effect ranged from minor
      complications that that did not interrupt the expansion process or require any operative
      intervention (32%) up to major complications that required additional operative intervention
      (12%).

      Opinions differed between authors regarding seroma prevention. Several authors omit use of
      drainage procedures to prevent infection. Others use closed suction drains but there was an
      increased risk of infection; and seromas tended to occur following their removal.

      External filling ports might drain seromas through the entry port, but at the risk of
      increased infection rates (19). Over inflation of the expanders to obliterate any dead space
      came with the risk of overlying skin ischemia and necrosis.

      As a projection to the hypothesis of Thompson on lymphoedema management, this study was
      performed to find the effect of opening new drainage channels between the superficial and
      deep lymphatics on the incidence of seroma formation.
    

Intervention name(s): Excision of strip of deep fascia
Intervention type(s): Procedure
Intervention description(s): operative technique to excise deep fascia.
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: Tissue expander; seroma; extrusion; lymphatics; deep fascia; Rate of seroma formation after excision of strip of deep fascia