[Hepatic rupture. Wrapping with absorbable mesh].

Considerable progress in conservative surgery of the spleen and kidney has been achieved in recent years by wrapping the organ in absorbable mesh. Following an experimental study, this technique has been used in 5 cases of rupture of the liver. Each injured lobe can be wrapped in an absorbable prosthetic sheet which is sutured in such a way as to form a purse applied onto the tissue, to control bleeding and bile leakage. The purse is then sutured to the falciform ligament detached from the diaphragm. Under drainage and provided the liver is watched for cavitation by scanning methods, this technique is simple and consistently effective. It avoids sutures, which are imperfect, and resections, which are fraught with dangers when performed in an emergency.