BIOLOGICALLY RELEVANT PROPERTIES AND IN VIVO CONSIDERATIONS OF SYNTHETIC MESH MATERIALS USED IN ABDOMINAL HERNIA REPAIR

Abstract

The perpetual evolution and development of meshes for abdominal hernia repair have made the determination of a single optimal mesh material a constant challenge. A significant number of research teams have evaluated the important properties of a surgical mesh as they relate to the prevalence of complications and recurrence, and a multitude of clinical trials have compared the efficacy of two or more meshes in an attempt to reveal a potential standard. This literature review will evaluate the properties of synthetic meshes used for hernia repair, and aim to illuminate those which should be considered when choosing an optimal mesh. The results of clinical trials of the last 5 years will also be compiled for convenience. The trials included in this review comprise those which appointed mesh type (or mesh system) as the primary variable. Most of these trials were comparative (2 or more meshes), and a few evaluated the performance of a single mesh. Clinical trials such as those evaluating fixation technique, surgical technique, prophylactic use and other topics not relevant to the efficacy of the mesh itself were excluded. The conceptual design of a novel absorbable block polymer triggered by small molecule localization will also be explored.