[The use of polypropylene sheet in primary hernioplasties in the inguinal area]

In the light of updated discussion of biologic and biochemical aspects in the etiology and pathogenesis of inguinal hernia, its basic subdivision into congenital and acquired forms is considered as the most expedient. Acquired hernias, unlike congenital ones, are produced by collagen metabolism impairment, leading in turn to reduction of its deposition in the connective tissue subsequent to collagenolysis prevailing over collagen forming processes. The early results of the application of polypropylene cloth in thirty primary hernioplastic procedures are analyzed. All patients are followed up over periods ranging from 3 to 36 months. The obtained results are compared with those in another group of thirty patients, subjected to inguinal canal reconstruction after the method of Bassini-Postemsky (a technique most frequently used in this country) performed by the same surgical team.