Background: Stomal mucocutaneous separation (SMS) is a serious and common short-term and long-term complication of ostomy surgery, but optimal methods to help prevent it have not been established. The authors hypothesized that seromuscular-dermal (SM-D) suturing may be better than all layer-dermal (AL-D) suturing to help prevent SMS.
Methods: This retrospective study evaluated the short-term SMS rate of patients who underwent colostomy or ileostomy surgery between 2015 and 2019. Patient demographics, medical and surgical history variables, as well as SMS outcomes were abstracted. Postoperative SMS severity was categorized by extent as follows: grade A (mild), grade B (moderate), and grade C (severe).
Results: In total, 105 patients (AL-D group, 45 patients; SM-D group, 60 patients) were enrolled in the study. SMS occurred in 24 patients (23%). The overall SMS rate was 18% (n = 11) in the SM-D group and 29% (n = 13) in the AL-D group (P = .202). The occurrence of severe (grade C) or moderate and severe SMS (grades B + C) in the SM-D compared with the AL-D group was significantly different (2% vs 16% [P = .011] and 10% vs 24% [P = .047], respectively). A history of steroid use was a risk factor for moderate and severe SMS (P = .016, odds ratio 5.694). Stomal height ≤1 cm was a a risk factor for all cases of SMS (P = .037, odds ratio 2.650). AL-D suture technique and a history of steroid use were independent risk factors for severe and moderate plus severe SMS (P = .021, odds ratio 12.844 and P = .027, odds ratio 4.808, respectively).
Conclusion: In this study, use of the AL-D suturing technique and a history of steroid use were independent risk factors for the short-term development of moderate or severe SMS. Patients whose stoma was secured using the SM-D technique had a significantly lower rate of moderate or severe SMS.