The use of MatriDerm® and skin grafting in post-traumatic wounds.

The aim of this study was to prove the effectiveness of MatriDerm(®) combined with skin grafting versus skin grafting alone in post-traumatic wounds treatment. At the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery of the University of Rome Tor Vergata, we treated 60 patients: 30 patients with dermal substitutes (MatriDerm(®)) combined with autologous skin graft and 30 with skin graft alone. Two weeks after the first treatment, 95% of wounds treated with MatriDerm(®) and skin graft showed a re-epithelisation, whereas it was 75-80% in the control group. We used the Manchester Scar Scale (MSS) and patient's self-estimation scale to assess the outcomes. Mann-Whitney U test was performed for the five items of the MSS and the results were combined to those of patient's self-estimation scale and the re-epithelialisation percentage to test the significance between the two groups. These data confirm the evidence of the clinical use of MatriDerm(®) technology in the healing of soft tissue wounds and prove the effectiveness of combining MatriDerm(®) and skin grafting for the first time. Furthermore, we observed a percentage reduction of wound contraction and in the same time an improvement of elasticity, quality of scars tissue and dermal architecture.