Wide local excision of the vulva for premalignant or benign lesions: do antibiotics decrease the risk of postoperative wound complication?

Objectives: To investigate determinants of wound complication following wide local excision (WLE) of the vulva for suspected premalignant or benign disease at a tertiary care center over the years 2016 to 2020. To determine factors associated with perioperative antibiotic use for WLE of the vulva and whether preoperative intravenous (IV) antibiotics or postoperative topical antimicrobial agents are associated with a decreased risk of wound complication. Methods: Consecutive patients were identified who underwent wide local excision of the vulva for suspected premalignant or benign lesions between June 1, 2016 and February 28, 2020. IRB approval was obtained and surgical records were reviewed; patients undergoing ‘wide local excision, vulva,’ ‘simple partial vulvectomy,’ or ‘destruction of vulvar lesion with excision’ were considered for inclusion. Demographic, peri- and postoperative, and pathologic data were recorded. Dimensions of specimen and elliptical surface areas were recorded. Patient follow up was documented at least through the postoperative appointment. Patients were separated by receipt of preoperative IV antibiotics or postoperative antimicrobial agents and by postoperative wound complications. Fisher's exact tests and Chi squared tests were used to compare categorical variables between groups and logistic regression models were used for continuous variables. P-values Results: Three-hundred thirty-five patients met inclusion criteria over the study period. One-hundred forty-one patients developed a wound complication (42%); this included 134 wound separations (40%), 22 infections (6.6%), and 4 hematomas (1.2%). Thirty-two patients (9.6%) received preoperative IV antibiotics and 42 (12.5%) received postoperative topical antimicrobial agents. Neither IV nor topical antimicrobial agents were associated with a decreased risk of wound complication (RR 0.96, 95% CI 0.62-1.49; RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.66-1.48). Demographics and preoperative characteristics were similar between those who received and did not receive antibiotics. Antibiotic administration was not associated with the maximum length or total surface area of excisions, number of vulvar excisions per surgery, or indication for WLE. Preoperative antibiotic use was similar between the gynecologic oncology and general gynecology divisions (RR 1.23, 95% CI 0.59-2.59). Patients who received IV antibiotics were more likely to be undergoing concurrent hysterectomy or other laparoscopic procedure (RR 12.8, 95% CI 7.87-20.75). Conclusions: WLE of the vulva is a common procedure among gynecologic oncologists and general gynecologists and carries a high rate of wound complication. Recent ERAS guidelines report low-level evidence to consider preoperative antibiotics for WLE and do not comment on topical antimicrobials.[1] In our study neither preoperative antibiotics nor postoperative topical antimicrobials were associated with improved outcomes. Prospective data on this topic is lacking and should be an area of future research. Antibiotic use for WLE-in the absence of concurrent clean-contaminated procedures-appears to be guided by surgeon preference.