Clinical experience with an inlay expanded polytetrafluoroethylene soft tissue patch as an adjunct in inguinal hernia...

Fifteen percent of 2,331 inguinal hernias required a biomaterial to effect a tension-free repair. Using the anterior approach, a graft placed deep to the posterior wall fulfills all the requirements of a sound operation. The procedure is normally performed using local anesthesia in an ambulatory facility. Three hundred fifty inguinal hernias were repaired using an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene soft tissue inlay patch. Ninety-one percent of the patients had personal follow-up examination with a mean follow-up period of 41.8 months. There were four recurrences.