Management of a nine litre abdominal wall seroma post ventral hernia repairs: A case report

INTRODUCTION: seromas are a common and challenging complication post mesh hernia repairs (Morales-Conde, 2012; Salamone, 2015; Vasilakis, 2014). PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 52-year-old male was referred to General Surgery with a large abdominal mass in the setting of morbid obesity and multiple abdominal operations culminating in a ventral hernia repair seven years prior. He had no other abdominal symptoms or malignancy red flags. Imaging demonstrated a large, complex anterior abdominal wall seroma of 40 × 25 × 20 cm. No seromas of this size and location have been reported in the literature. DISCUSSION: Surgical management required drainage, partial capsulectomy and scarification of the remnants with multidisciplinary team involvement for recovery including general surgeons, anaesthesia, intensivists and allied health professionals. CONCLUSION: The patient recovered well from his operation.