[Radical excision of giant abdominal nevi in infants. Apropos of 3 cases].

Total removal of giant naevi with a minimal residual scar is of course ideal for prevention of malignancy and obvious psychological reasons. One can take advantage of the excess of skin existing in infants to be able to perform such wide excisions with immediate closure. Three cases of abdominal wall excisions in infants are presented, one of the upper abdomen at 9 months, two of the lower abdomen, at 3 months and 6 months. In all cases, a wide undermining was performed to allow the immediate closure. For the two lower abdominal excisions, preservation and transposition of the umbilicus were performed, like on an aesthetic abdominoplasty in adults. The blood loss was minimized by infiltration with epinephrine and meticulous hemostasis. Healing was uneventful. The scars, with a one to two years follow-up, are smooth and fine, and there are no change of contour. Progress in pediatric anesthesiology has resulted in the fact that a large excision and repair in infants presents no more potential dangers than operation performed later. Feasibility of such early wide excisions has been explored in other areas of the body; however, the abdominal wall is the area of choice.