Groin dissection has been a nightmare for many surgeons due to its higher morbidity especially flap necrosis. Various modifications in incisions have been described in the literature to reduce the complications but with variable outcomes. By our novel “River Flow” incision technique, we have significantly reduced the procedure-related complications without compromising onco-surgical principles.

A prospective longitudinal clinical observational study was designed after Institutional Ethical Committee clearance, aiming to minimize the rate of complications, especially flap necrosis. All patients who underwent unilateral/bilateral ilio-inguinal block dissection (IIBD) from January 2014 to December 2021 were included in the study. The “River Flow” incision was made and standard ilio-inguinal block dissection was performed. Flap viability, seroma formation, lymphedema, infection, etc. were observed and noted during hospitalization and on follow-up. Clavien- Dindo classification was used to grade the postoperative complications. We have taken our historical data of 235 groin dissections as a control and compared them with the results of the present study. It is one of the largest studies on groin dissection so far.

A total of 138 patients underwent 258 groin dissections. The most common diagnosis was carcinoma penis (44.9%) followed by carcinoma vulva (22.4%). Overall, the outcome of all groin dissections showed no postoperative mortality. None of the patients had complete flap necrosis. But in our historical data, the flap necrosis rate was 38%. The most common complication observed was seroma formation in 13.7% of cases followed by surgical site infection (6.52%). All the complications were managed conservatively. The postoperative stay of the patients was also significantly less. The median hospital stay was 3 days.

“River Flow” incision technique is a simple but effective novel surgical technique for therapeutic ILND for any surgical setup without the learning curve. It can avoid flap necrosis, and decrease morbidity significantly without compromising the onco-surgical principle of standard groin dissection.