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Repair of incisional hernias with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene
Objective:
To find out the rates of recurrence after repair of incisional hernias with or without the implantation of a PTFE-patch.
Design:
Open and retrospective study.
Setting:
University hospital, Austria.
Subjects:
26 patients who had their incisional hernias repaired with a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) patch and 70 for whom conventional methods were used.
Main Outcome Measures:
Absolute recurrence rate and the Kaplan-Meier estimate 24 months after the operation. Presence of risk factors.
Results:
Three patients developed recurrences by 24 months in the PTFE group and 41 in the conventional group. The Kaplan-Meier estimate for the PTFE group was 13% and for the conservative group 63%. Women had significantly fewer recurrences than men (p < 0.05). Age, body mass index, and diameter of the defect were not significantly associated with an increased risk of failure.
Conclusions:
Insertion of a prosthesis can improve the results of surgical repair of incisional hernias.