Evaluation of Double Mesh Modification of Chevrel's Technique in Management of Midline Incisional Hernia

This study is a clinical trial carried out on 22 patients with midline incisional hernia, using the double mesh modification of Chevrel's technique, all the procedures were performed by the same group of surgeons.

The exclusion criteria were American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) 3, and 4, inflammatory bowel disease, urgent setting, recurrences and previous abdominal neoplasms with high risk of local recurrence (rectal cancer). All patients were informed and consented before recruitment in the study All patients received an intravenous antibiotic prophylaxis with subcutaneous administration of fractionated heparin before surgery when indicated.

Surgical technique All patients were operated on with the double mesh modification of Chevrel's technique. The previous scar was excised then, dissection of the subcutaneous space was performed deep to the neck of the hernia, not wider than 1cm from the edges of the defect, then the sac was opened and resected, the defect size was measured, the skin and subcutaneous tissue was dissected off the anterior rectus sheath only allowing dissection of an anterior rectus sheath flap just sufficient to close the defect without tension After that a bilateral longitudinal incisions was done on the anterior surface of the anterior rectus sheath and a medial anterior rectus sheath flap was dissected off the rectus abdominis muscle, both recti muscles was dissected off the posterior rectus sheath opening the retrorectus space, each of the medial anterior rectus sheath flaps was sutured to that of the other side with slowly absorbed sutures closing the defect without any tension and reforming the posterior rectus sheath

A sizable prolene mesh was fixed with prolene sutures in the retrorectus space spreading between lateral ends of the space and tunneled up 4 cm in the retrorectus space far from vertical edges of the defect,Then the anterior rectus sheath was closed using a prolene mesh tailored to the size of the space between the lateral flaps of both sides and sutured to the edges of the lateral flaps with interrupted non absorbable sutures.

suction drain is left in site, subcutaneous tissue was closed with Vicryl (3\0) , skin was closed with prolene (3\0), drain was removed when the amount of drainage is below 30 ml \ day .