Assessing the Safety of Mesh Repair in Strangulated Groin Hernias: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The use of mesh in emergency repair of complicated groin hernias has been a subject of discussion for decades. While it is now generally accepted that mesh could safely be used in incarcerated (irreducible) and obstructed hernias (without strangulation), with wound infection rates comparable to suture repairs, the use of mesh in strangulated hernias involving bowel resection is still controversial. The aim of this study, therefore, was to analyse the safety of mesh use in strangulated hernias with ischaemic bowel at the time of surgery. A literature search was carried out using relevant keywords. The study was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 framework anddata analysis was done using the Review Manager version 5.4 (The Cochrane Collaboration, Oxford, UK) meta-analysis software. Seven studies comprising 1,159 patients who had emergency surgery for strangulated groin hernias were analysed. A pooled random effect meta-analysis did not show any significant difference in the surgical site infection rate (odds ratio (OR) = 0.88, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.39-1.96, p = 0.75), seroma formation (OR = 3.39; 95% CI = 0.70-16.43; p = 0.13), and hernia recurrence (OR = 0.33; CI = 0.05-2.22; p = 0.26) between the two groups. The long-held concern that mesh could not be safely used in strangulated groin hernias has not been validated by the results obtained from this systematic review and meta-analysis. However, more randomised controlled trials in this clinical area would need to be carried out to further validate the results of this study.