Prosthetic repair of prevascular femoral herniation

Abstract

In prevascular femoral hernias the sac is situated anterior to the femoral vessels in the groin. These hernias are rare and a preoperative diagnosis is seldom considered. Traditionally the surgeon had to do the best with the situation that confronted him/her. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of a prosthetic mesh-plug via a low anterior groin approach. Over a nine-year period, six patients (all men, aged 46-82 year) were treated for prevascular herniation using a mesh-plug. Five patients had previous groin surgery. Follow-up ranged from 15 months to nine years, during which no recurrence, infection or vascular compromise was detected. Prevascular herniation is rare and the diagnosis may be difficult. Our results suggest that mesh-plug repair via a low approach is feasible and safe and may provide another option for a surgeon encountering a prevascular hernia.