Treatment for a Post-Reconstruction Seroma Using Viscum album Extract in a Patient with a Pressure Ulcer: A Case Series

Abstract

Seromas commonly occur or recur after reconstructive surgery in patients with pressure ulcers, often leading to infection, increasing the risk of wound dehiscence and flap necrosis, and therefore requiring an additional surgical procedure. Various strategies have been employed to treat seroma, such as retaining as much of the fascia as possible, using progressive tension sutures, inserting suction drains, utilizing sclerotherapy, or applying compression via dressings or specialized garments. However, despite these efforts, seroma prevention remains difficult. In the current report, we describe three cases in which we administered Viscum album extract to prevent and treat seromas that developed following pressure ulcer reconstruction. V. album extract sclerotherapy was performed in a patient with a recurrent seroma, a patient with a persistent seroma, and a patient wishing to undergo sclerotherapy immediately postoperatively as a prophylactic treatment. The seromas resolved shortly after initiating treatment, and recurrence was not observed at any of the subsequent outpatient follow-up visits. These cases suggest that sclerotherapy with V. album extract following pressure ulcer reconstruction can suppress development of seromas and lower the risk of recurrence.