The Use of Different Types of Mesh at Different Sites in the Prevention of Incisional Hernia After Various Abdominal Incision Versus Primary Abdominal Suturing.

The burden of incisional hernia after abdominal exploration has raised the question if a prophylactic mesh placement during abdominal wall closure is of benefit.

The reported rate of incisional hernia after abdominal incisions varies from 4.2% up to a calculated risk of 73%. The impact on quality of life and annual health care costs has motivated various groups to research ways to decrease the rate of incisional hernia by optimizing the technique of abdominal wall closure.

One of the crucial risk factors of the genesis of incisional hernias is the malfunction of collagen synthesis. Other main risk factors are found to be obesity, steroid therapy, malnutrition, nicotine abuse, and other connective tissue diseases.

Since German physician Theodor Billroth's first suggested use of prosthetic material to close the hernia defect in 1890, continued interest lead to the development of a variety of surgical meshes and techniques for suture and mesh reinforcement to prevent incisional hernia . Overtime, RCTs have demonstrated the effectiveness of the use of prophylactic mesh in the prevention of incisional hernia. While surgeons world over use different techniques of positioning mesh in the prophylactic mesh repair (PMR) such as the Onlay, Sublay and Intraperitoneal positions, which can be associated with a high incidence of complications such as the postoperative seroma.