Comparison of prosthetic materials used for abdominal wall defects or hernias (an experimental study)

The prosthetic materials polypropylene and polytetrafluoroethylene were comparatively studied for postinterventional infection, development of adhesions, and recurrence of hernias and tissue reactions in rats in which abdominal defects 1 by 2 cm in size had been repaired with one of these materials. As regards infection and hernias there was no significant difference vs. a control group of rats. There was no collagen deposition in polytetrafluoroethylene, and the mononuclear inflammatory cell reaction and fibroblastic activity outside the graft layer were steadily less intense with polytetrafluoroethylene than with polypropylene. Adhesions were significantly (p < 0.05) more marked with polypropylene.