Biological prosthesis, platelet enriched plasma and bone marrow stem cells in complicated incisional hernia reconstruction in emergency surgery: a prospective case control study

Abstract

Numerous innovations have been aided by abdominal wall surgical repair. Abdominal wall surgery was drastically altered by synthetic materials. Tissue engineering was unquestionably first applied to biomaterials. The purpose of the present study is to compare different repeating approaches with rising tissue engineering complexity in repairing complex incisional hernia in emergency setting. Patients with complicated incisional hernia were prospectively included in the study and divided into 4 groups: DR (Direct Repair) group underwent direct reconstruction of the abdominal wall, BR (Biological mesh Repair) group underwent reconstruction of the abdominal wall with biological mesh (retro-muscular), BPR [Biological mesh and Platelet Enriched Plasma (PEP), gel] group underwent reconstruction of the abdominal wall with Biological mesh (retro-muscular) and PEP, BPSR (biological mesh, PEP gel and Bone Marrow Stem Cells) group underwent reconstruction of the abdominal wall with biological mesh (retromuscular), PEP and Bone Marrow Stem cells (BMSc). Forty patients were enrolled. Patients in the DR group experienced a higher rate of severe complication (p<0.05). Recurrence rates were 60% for DR patients, 20% for BM patients and 10% for the BM+PEP group (p<0.05). Median follow-up period was 64.6, 55.7 and 55.8 months (p<0.05). 7- and 30-days abdominal wall thickness is progressively increased by different techniques: BP, BP+PEP and BP+PEP+BMSc (p<0.05). No mortality was registered. Tissue engineering techniques in abdominal wall reconstruction showed promising results. They seem to reduce the recurrence rate without increasing complication one in complicated incisional abdominal wall hernia. Although many aspects are yet to be determined and standardized, it seems extremely important to continue research and experimentation in this field.