Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30798398›Full record

ArticleHernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery2019

Complex abdominal wall reconstruction, harnessing the power of a specialized multidisciplinary team to improve pain and quality of life.

R E Aliotta, J Gatherwright, D Krpata, S Rosenblatt, M Rosen, R Gurunluoglu

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
3.1field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 26 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Complex abdomen: a scoping review.Hernia : the journal of hernias and abdominal wall surgery · 2025
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

R E AliottaDepartment of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Dermatology and Plastic Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, A60 Crile building 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7911-6254
J GatherwrightDivision of Plastic Surgery, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA.
D KrpataDepartment of Surgery, Comprehensive Hernia Center, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA.
S RosenblattDepartment of Surgery, Comprehensive Hernia Center, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA.
M RosenDepartment of Surgery, Comprehensive Hernia Center, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA.
R GurunluogluDepartment of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Dermatology and Plastic Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, A60 Crile building 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA. gurunlr@ccf.org.ORCID 0000-0001-9271-5983
Cleveland Clinic · USMetroHealth · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionPatients who require highly complex abdominal wall hernia repair with composite soft tissue free flap coverage represent the most challenging population, and the most difficult to definitively treat. For many, this combined procedure represents their last chance to restore any sense of normalcy to their lives. To date, patient reported post-operative outcomes have been limited in the literature, in particular, quality of life has been an under-reported component of successful management.

methodsPatient-reported outcomes were analyzed using the 12-question HerQLes survey, a validated hernia-related quality of life survey to assess patient function after complex abdominal wall reconstruction. Using synthetic mesh for structural stability, and microsurgical flaps for soft tissue coverage, ten consecutive heterogeneous patients underwent repair of massive abdominal wall defects. Baseline preoperative HerQLes and numerical pain scores were then compared to those obtained postoperatively (at or greater than 6 months).

resultsAll patients experienced improvement in their quality of life and pain scores post operatively with average follow-up at 15.9 months, even in those who experienced complications. All microsurgical flaps survived. There were no hernia recurrences.

conclusionDespite the extraordinary preoperative morbidity of massive abdominal wall defects, with an experienced General Surgery and Plastic Surgery multidisciplinary team, these highly complex patients are able to achieve a significant improvement in their pain and quality of life following repair and reconstruction with complex mesh hernia repair and microsurgical free tissue transfer.

Indexed as

Abdominal PainAbdominal WallAbdominoplastyAdultAgedFemaleHealth Care SurveysHernia, VentralHerniorrhaphyHumansMaleMiddle AgedPatient Care TeamPatient Reported Outcome MeasuresQuality of LifeSurgical FlapsAbdominal wall reconstructionComponents separationFree flapOutcomes

Identifiers

PMID30798398
OpenAlexW2917346522

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.