Quadrapod mesh for posterior wall reconstruction in adult inguinal hernias

Inguinal hernia repairs are the most frequently carried out operations worldwide, and open-mesh herniorrhaphies have gained wide acceptance for advantages of little tension, less pain and lower recurrence rates. Even so, potential drawbacks of original open-mesh repairs exist, and we accordingly make some modifications, suggesting a new 'quadrapod' marlex mesh as an alternative. From July 2002 to March 2004, we carried out 288 consecutive inguinal hernia repairs using quadrapod mesh in 273 patients, all of them were male and aged older than 35 years. Patient demographics, operative parameters, morbidity and outcomes were collected in detail. After surgery, patients were followed up every 6 months at one surgeon's clinic and any major abnormality was recorded. Mean age of the 273 patients was 58.7 years. Twenty-eight patients had recurrent hernias and 15 bilateral hernias. Mean surgical duration was 50.7 min. One patient suffered from major wound infection and needed prolonged hospitalization for parenteral antibiotics. Owing to old age and benign prostatic hyperplasia, 11 patients receiving spinal anaesthesia had temporary postoperative urine retention and needed short-term urinary catheter insertion. Most patients were discharged 1 day following surgery. Acute wound pain generally improved within days, and no patients complained of chronic pain or debility necessitating special interventions. With a mean follow up of 40.7 months, no case of recurrent herniation was detected to date. Open-mesh herniorrhaphy using quadrapod mesh provides a cheap, feasible and effective alternative choice in centres with limited resources. Preliminary results are encouraging, and a formal prospective study may be warranted.