Laparoscopic ventral hernia repair using expanded polytetrafluoroethylene-polyester mesh compound

Abstract

Background: Many biomaterials and composites have been used in clinical and experimental laparoscopic ventral hernia repair. The ideal prosthesis should allow firm binding to the abdominal wall without adhesion to the bowel.

Methods: A compound prosthesis was made by circumferentially suturing a Gore-Tex mesh as visceral interface to a smaller polyester mesh as parietal interface, and it was used in 46 laparoscopic ventral hernia repairs between January 2000 and December 2004.

Results: Average operative time was 65 min, with no intraoperative complications. Mean hospital stay was 2.2 days. Postoperative complications were five seromas, two hematomas, and one recurrence after a mean follow-up of 32.2 months.

Conclusion: The prosthesis used was made of two biomaterials that have been tested and tried over the years. The polyester layer is known to induce sufficient tissue ingrowth, whereas Gore-Tex minimizes adhesion formation. The memory of the compound was high enough to allow easy laparoscopic unrolling and handling.