Our experiences with the use of 3-dimensional meshes to prevent and to repair parastomal hernias

Abstract

Albeit there is decreasing tendency nowadays for stoma construction, if it still happens, parastomal herniation might occur in up to 50% of cases afterwards. One third of the cases requires surgical correction, not rarely as an emergency. The different methods of repair can be quite demanding and the complication rates are high. From 2003 we have started to use specially designed 3-dimensional meshes for the prevention and repair of parastomal hernias. From 1st of January 2012 to 1st of June 2016 we have used these devices within the framework of a prospective, controlled, randomized study enrolling the patients in preventive and repair arms. Until now mesh was implanted for prevention at the time of the index operation in 38 cases, (control group: 46 cases), and for repair in 14 cases (control group: 18 cases). Recruitment of the patients will end in 2017. The operations were performed by laparoscopic approach in 22 cases and by open approach in 62 cases in the preventive arm, and 6/26 cases in the repair arm respectively. Mean follow up period is 19.2 months in the mesh group and 22.6 months in the non mesh group in the preventive arm, and 25.9/20.4 months in the repair arm respectively. No statistical analysis was used to interpret these interim results in this paper, we intend to analyze our results at the end of the study. At this stage apparently there is no difference between the group of patients in terms of complications in both arms. Parastomal herniation was found in 18 cases (39.1%) in the non mesh group and in 3 cases (7.8%) in the mesh group in the preventive arm. Recurrency was noted in 8 cases (44%) in the non mesh group, and in 1 case (7.1%) in the mesh group in the repair arm. Our results correlate with other studies where mesh insertion was used to prevent and/or repair parastomal hernias. We attribute these results mainly to the special, 3-dimensional design of the meshes used by us. This construction was developed based on understanding the patomechanism of parastomal hernia formation.