Synthetic implants in hernia surgery

Abdominal wall hernia correction is one of the most common surgical procedures. 85,000 hernia operations are performed in Poland each year. Modern techniques of abdominal wall reconstruction utilize surgical implants for fascial defect closure. In the 70s and the 80s of the last century, these techniques gained widespread acceptance among surgeons. Significant improvement of results in terms of recurrences was observed. Treatment of large abdominal wall defects became possible. Three types of surgical implants were developed early: polipropylene (PP), poliethylene (PE) and politetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Unfortunately, negative effects of implanted material soon became apparent. Excessive native tissues inflammatory response to the implanted material, leading to multiple complications was observed. Recurrences due to fibrosis, chronic regional pain, stiffness of the operation site, intestinal adhesions and fistulas, infertility and infections were reported. In some cases the use of standard synthetic implant was contraindicated. Analyzing drawbacks of the standard hernia implants, the medical industry developed new materials to improve treatment results. The most popular, currently utilized synthetic materials, are presented in this review in the context of clinical results.