Effect of Reoperation for Recurrence After Open Surgery for Small Umbilical Hernia With Sutured Mesh or Plastic Surgery. A National Hernia Database Study.

background Operation for small umbilical hernias is one of the most common surgical procedures, but the best surgical technique, including the choice of suture or mesh remains unknown.

It is well known that using non-absorbable sutures in closure of the abdomen, diminishes the risk of incisional hernias and wound healing problems.It has also been found that the use of resorbable suture in fixation of the mesh in Lichtesteins procedure leads to greater risk of recurrence of the hernia. Furthermore, it has been stated in smaller studies, that the use of the mesh in open operation for a small umbilical hernia has lower risk of recurrence (approx. 1-3%) than sutured repair (10-12 %). However, the scientific literature is deficient, with few patients.

The purpose of this study is to describe reoperation rate of recurrence after small umbilical hernias, depending on choice of sutures in both regular repair and in mesh repair.

Hypothesis: sutured repair with non-absorbable suture has lower recurrence rates than with other types of sutures, whereas mesh repair has even lower recurrence rates in small umbilical hernia repairs.