Clinical Research Directory

Preoperative Weight Loss for Open Abdominal Wall Reconstruction

The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to compare preoperative intensive weight management to upfront surgery in obese patients undergoing complex abdominal wall reconstruction. The main question is will abdominal wall specific quality of life (using the HerQLes survey) for the group undergoing upfront surgery be non-inferior compared to the group in the weight management program.

Evaluating the Efficacy of Suture Mesh vs. Planar Mesh in Ventral Hernia Treatment

The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate whether mesh-suture affects wound complication rates, patient-reported quality of life, and operation time in adult patients undergoing surgery for small ventral hernias. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does mesh-suture reduce wound complication rates compared to planar mesh? Does mesh-suture improve patient-reported quality of life(QoL) and affect operation time compared to planar mesh? Comparison group: Researchers will compare standard treatment with planar mesh to the interventional treatment with mesh-suture to see whether mesh-suture leads to fewer complications, better quality of life, and shorter operation time. Participants will: Be randomized to receive either planar mesh or mesh-suture during hernia repair surgery. Undergo standardized preoperative assessment, including baseline data and QoL scoring. Attend a postoperative visit on day 7-13 for wound inspection and ultrasound. Complete QoL assessments at 90 days (telephone follow-up). Have operation time recorded and medical records reviewed for readmissions within 90 days.

Early Clinical Outcomes of High-Purity Type I Collagen as a Biologic Reinforcement in Selected Hernia Repair Scenarios

This prospective, single-arm clinical study evaluates the safety, feasibility, and early clinical outcomes of High-Purity Type I Collagen (HPTC; Surgicoll-Mesh®) when used as a biologic reinforcement in selected hernia repair scenarios where permanent synthetic mesh placement is undesirable. Outcomes focus on early postoperative safety, wound healing, and complication profiles over an 8-week follow-up period.

Hernia Repair Using Rectus Fascia Allograft

Abdominal wall closure in highly complex patients is one of the most difficult tasks in abdominal surgery. Repeated laparotomies, enterocutaneous fistulas, loss of the fascial layer and contaminated operative fields may prevent safe fascial approximation, and closure under high tension can lead to serious complications such as abdominal compartment syndrome. These problems are frequently encountered after intestinal or multivisceral transplantation and are not uncommon after liver transplantation. While component separation, flap techniques and mesh reinforcement are available, standard approaches may be insufficient or inappropriate in extensive or contaminated defects, and synthetic mesh may be contraindicated due to infection risk. An allogeneic non-vascularized rectus abdominis fascial graft (NVRF) offers a practical alternative for isolated fascial defects with preserved skin coverage. The technique is relatively simple, reproducible, and does not require vascular reconstruction, potentially filling a gap where synthetic mesh is unsuitable. However, current evidence is limited, heterogeneous and largely retrospective. This pilot prospective observational study will assess the feasibility and outcomes of elective incisional or primary ventral hernia repair using NVRF in (1) solid organ transplant recipients and (2) highly selected patients with exhausted standard abdominal wall reconstruction options and contraindications to synthetic mesh. Key outcomes include 12-month hernia recurrence, 90-day surgical site infection, immunologic response measured by donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies, direct healthcare costs over 12 months, and patient-reported quality of life using the EuraHS-QoL questionnaire.

Abdominal Wall Transplant

The purpose of this protocol is to determine the safety and efficacy of abdominal wall transplantation as a treatment for the reconstruction of abdominal wall defects. Abdominal wall transplantation may be performed alone or in combination with another transplant.

Robotic Versus Open Comparison in the Surgical Treatment of Wide Abdominal Wall heRnias (ROCSTAR)

In the treatment of ventral incisional hernias, a mesh repair in the retromuscular plane is considered as the gold standard. To allow for adequate medialization of the fascial borders and a complete closure of the defect in case of large incisional hernias, component separation techniques are increasingly being used. When compared to anterior component separation, posterior component separation by transversus abdominis release (TAR) seems to decrease postoperative wound problems. While laparoscopic techniques pose significant difficulties to perform TAR minimally invasively (mainly due to ergonomic and technical reasons), these limitations seem to be overcome by robotic platforms. Initial retrospective patient series report on significantly shorter postoperative hospital stay and fewer complications after robotic transversus abdominis release (rTAR), when compared to open transversus abdominis release (oTAR). High-quality prospective evidence on rTAR is currently lacking.

Effects of a Multicomponent Training Program on Health Outcomes in Patients with Abdominal Wall Hernia

Abdominal wall hernias are among the most prevalent pathologies today, characterized by specific symptoms such as pain, a sensation of tightness in the affected area, and potential gastrointestinal complications. These symptoms negatively impact patients' health and quality of life. In other clinical conditions, such as osteoarthritis, sarcopenia, and fibromyalgia, participation in multicomponent training programs (which integrate strength, mobility, and stretching exercises) has been documented to significantly improve quality of life, reduce pain, and optimize patients' functional capacity. Likewise, scientific literature highlights that in the context of injuries requiring surgical intervention, such as anterior cruciate ligament or meniscus tears, patients who underwent prehabilitation programs based on multicomponent training experienced fewer losses in functional and structural aspects, such as strength and muscle mass. These programs also contributed to a reduction in postoperative pain perception. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of a multicomponent training program on health variables (pain, quality of life, perceived exertion, and recurrence) and functional capacity (trunk isometric strength, grip strength, and lower limb dynamic strength) in patients with abdominal wall hernias. As a secondary objective, the impact of this program on the aforementioned variables after abdominal wall repair surgery will be investigated.

Web-based International Register of Emergency Surgery and Trauma

The WIRES-T project (Web-based International Registry of Emergency General Surgery and Trauma) has been set up to allow to all the EGS (Emergency General Surgery) and Trauma surgeons to register their activity and to obtain a worldwide register of traumatic and non traumatic surgical emergencies. This will give the opportunity to evaluate results on a macro-data basis and to give index allowing stratifying, evaluating and improving the outcomes.