RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of endoscopic low-temperature plasma radiofrequency ablation with acellular dermal matrix patch for chronic abdominal wall sinus by comparing with the traditional surgical method. METHODS: Retrospective analysis was made on the clinical data of 53 cases of chronic abdominal wall sinus between January 2006 and May 2012. Of 53 patients, 18 underwent endoscopic low-temperature plasma radiofrequency ablation with acellular dermal matrix patch (trial group), and 35 underwent traditional surgical treatment (control group). No significant difference was found in gender, age, etiology, disease duration, and location between 2 groups (P > 0.05). RESULTS: The blood loss during sinus clearance, postoperative hospitalization days, and sinus union time of the trial group were significantly better than those of the control group (P < 0.05), but no significant difference was found in the operative time for sinus clearance (t = 0.28, P = 0.78). No postoperative sinus bleeding or infection occurred in the trial group, but bleeding and infection in 5 and 3 cases of the control group respectively, showing significant differences between 2 groups (P < 0.05). The follow-up time was 4-18 months (mean, 12.4 months) in the trial group, and was 6-48 months (mean, 38.5 months) in the control group. No sinus recurrence was observed during follow-up. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic low-temperature plasma radiofrequency ablation with acellular dermal matrix patch has the following advantages in treating chronic abdominal wall sinus: clear view, thorough cleaning of granulation necrosis tissues, less bleeding, faster sinus union, and shorter hospitalization days; however, further observations on the long-term effectiveness and the safety are required.