"Long-term outcomes of ventral hernia repair using heavyweight non-woven polypropylene mesh"

Polypropylene mesh is available in the configurations: knitted polypropylene (KP) and nonwoven polypropylene (NWP). Although there is robust literature regarding KP, there is a knowledge gap in the long-term performance of NWP in ventral hernia repair (VHR). We recently reported one-month outcomes of KP versus NWP mesh after VHR; however, long-term outcomes of NWP were not evaluated. This study aims to describe these long-term outcomes.

Patients who underwent open, clean VHR with Surgimesh WN, a heavyweight NWP mesh, from 2022 to 2025 with one year follow-up were included. Outcomes such as SSO (surgical site occurrence), SSI (surgical site infection), SSOPI (surgical site occurrence requiring procedural intervention), and hernia recurrence were reported at 30-day, one-year, and two-years. Hernia recurrence was defined pragmatically, a composite of patient-reported bulges, clinical exam, and cross-sectional imaging.

160 patients were included. Ventral hernias had a median width of 15 cm. At 30 days, there were 20 SSOs, six SSIs, eight SSOPIs, and no hernia recurrences. At one year, there were three SSOs, one SSI, one SSOPI, and no reoperations for recurrence. At two years (N = 35), there was one SSO and no hernia recurrences.

Our early experience with Surgimesh WN indicates it is a safe and effective for VHR. NWP mesh is especially useful given the 50cmx50cm available for large VHRs. Long term follow-up in larger cohorts is needed to support these findings and explore potential advantages of NWP.