This young man came to us last year. He had an intraabdominal disaster-ruptured appendix with delayed presentation and severe peritonitis. He survived this problem after multiple surgeries with an open abdomen. Finally we closed the wound leaving a large ventral hernia. Today we operated after 6 months recovery. We were able to close the fascia with the technique of component separation.
Surgical Mesh
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Sunday, May 6, 2012
VICRYL MESH
Sometimes, in the face of an intraabdominal disaster and/or loss of the abdominal wall, a temporary closure of the abdomen is needed. Synthetic absorbable mesh has been used extensively in this situation. Polyglactin (Vicryl) and polyglycolic acid (Dexon) have been in the surgical armamentarium for approximately 25 years. This type of prosthetic mesh implant has been used in the repair of traumatic liver, splenic, and renal injuries and in pelvic floor repair in the setting of abdominal peroneal resection of the rectum. Although early burst strength (at 8 wk) is comparable to that of permanent mesh, as the mesh is absorbed (at 10-12 wk), hernias inevitably develop in most patients.
As described by Bender et al, the mesh is applied loosely over the abdominal contents and then covered with fine mesh gauze packing, maintaining the bowel below the absorbable mesh and within the abdominal contents.[3] This may decrease bowel wall distention, thinning, and subsequent desiccation, which may decrease the incidence of enterocutaneous fistula.
An example of the use of Vicryl Mesh can be seen at this link.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
PLUG AND PATCH
The patient illustrated here came with a recurrent left inguinal hernia. During the previous surgery, the cord was extensively skeletonized. The recurrence came through a defect of the floor and the sac contained momentum. The sac was pushed back into the peritoneum without excision. A plug was then placed in the defect. Following, a piece of mesh was used to patch the floor using a running 0 prolene.
Recurrent defect of the inguinal floor |
Mesh plug placed in defect |
Mesh patch to inguinal floor |
Friday, April 27, 2012
INTRAABDOMINAL DISASTER
Patient six months after her disaster, holding a picture showing her emaciated state during the acute process. |
This lady came in with an intraabdominal disaster. Perforated typhoid ileitis! We operated multiple times via an open abdomen technique and finally closed the abdomen with skin flaps-leaving a large fascial defect. She had a large iatrogenic hernia. She was emaciated but alive. We saw her back after 6 months and she had put on quite a bit of weight. We repaired her hernia with polypropylene mesh. She had an uneventful recover.
Iatrogenic hernia |
Mesh repair |
Iatrogenic hernia |
Sunday, April 22, 2012
MOSQUITO NET MESH
The following is an excerpt from an article by Udwadia TE. The Inguinal hernia repair: The total picture. J Min Access Surg 2006;2:144-6. One of the key points is that mesh is, unfortunately, not available to most of the world.
Papers on hernia
repair at conferences and publication on hernia repair in journals are made by
herniologists who work in ideal conditions in developed countries and urban
centres in the developing world. Cocooned in their sophistication they kneel at
the alter of what they believe is "evidence based medicine". Sadly,
most do not know (and some do not care) about the problems of hernia repair in
70% of the world population, where for example, in East Africa patients with
strangulated hernia get no treatment.[7]
In 1998, I was
interested and excited to learn that surgeons in rural areas of India were
doing tension-free repairs using indigenous mesh which was autoclavable (the
only mean of sterilization to them) and had similar weave, tensile strength,
chemical composition and biological response as commercially available mesh.[8] God in his wisdom
made mosquitoes endemic in the developing world, necessitating the manufacturing
of cheap mosquito-net for mass use.
As the editor of
Indian Journal of Surgery I accepted for publication the article on
"Preliminary multicentric trial of cheap indigenous mosquito net cloth for
tension free hernia repair". By doing so I invited the wrath of Heads of
Department in prestigious Indian teaching hospitals who questioned my Editorial
propriety in accepting an article with no animal toxicology study, no
controlled trial and questionable follow up. I gently explained my acceptance
of the article by reminding them that the first clinical mesh study was done
without experimental work in 1958, that the Heads of Department were in a
stronger position to do such a study than the rural surgeon, that research not
applicable to the needs of a developing country was unethical[9] and that follow-up in
a village or small town was far more reliable than urban cities because small
town surgeon knew each one of his patient for years and by name.
I am aware that like
those Heads of Department, all herniologists who talk and write on hernia will
find the use of this simple cheap mesh (cost ratio 1:2000) surgical blasphemy.
History of hernia repair teaches us that Bassini, Shouldice, Lichtenstein much
after they advocated their procedure were held in ridicule. In 1972, the role
of laparoscopy in surgery was blasphemy and both Semm who performed the first
laparoscopic appendicectomy and Muhe who performed the first laparoscopic
cholecystectomy were ostracized for years for their blasphemy. Appropriately
George Bernard Shaw wrote "Most truths start off as blasphemy". Time
will tell if this ingenious work of rural Indian surgeons is a truth. If it is,
it will be a true landmark in the history of hernia repair, for it will provide
all the benefits of the Lichtenstein procedure, at virtually no cost for the
mesh, underscoring the true role of surgery - good surgical care too all
people, in all places.
|
Friday, April 20, 2012
NO MESH FOR YOU!
I often use mesh to repair large incisional hernias. But, not every patient with a large incisional hernia needs mesh. A young patient, for example, may be better served with hernia repair without mesh, especially if you think you may have to enter the abdomen again.
The young girl pictured here presented with intraabdominal sepsis following an abortion. She was extremely ill. We explored her and found a perforated uterus and generalized peritonitis. We packed the abdomen and stabilized the patient then returned after 36 hours. The abdomen was still grossly contaminated so we repeated the process. On the third laparotomy, the abdomen looked improved but the bowel was quite swollen and closure was impossible. We raised skin flaps and closed the skin leaving a large fascial defect. The patient improved but deteriorated after about 1 week. I suspected a subphrenic abscess since she had hiccups. We reexplored her and that is what we found. The abscess was drained and the abdomen closed and she recovered!
Component Separation-note release of external oblique muscle |
Component Separation-the external oblique muscle is separated from the internal oblique. This allows the rectus muscle to be advanced. |
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