Shall we use a mesh in every patient undergoing repair surgery for umbilical hernia? a prospective study

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study is to compare the outcomes in patients with umbilical hernia who underwent suture-only repair (primary suture repair and Mayo’s repair) to those with mesh (hernia repair with prolene or the Ventralex Hernia Patch (VHP) hernia repair).Materials and Methods: ASA 1 and ASA 2 patients who had no medical condition requiring surgical intervention other than umbilical hernia were included in this study.. Small hernias were repaired by suturing only while mesh repair was used for medium size and large hernias. Among parameters to be assessed were presence of comorbidities, hernia repair techniques, postoperative complications, and postoperative recurrence rates by repair techniques. Follow-up assessments including physical examinations and/or ultrasound studies were performed to evaluate potential recurrences and other complications. Results: A total of 153 patients were included in the study. The incidence of seroma formation was significantly higher in the prolene mesh group than others. Recurrences occurred in four out of 25 patients who underwent primary repair (16%) and three out of 69 patients who underwent Mayo’s repair (4.3%). Recurrence rates were statistically significantly higher in the primary suture repair group than the other groups. Conclusion: In this study, overall recurrence rate following umbilical hernia repair was found to be 4.57%. Recurrences were not observed in mesh group. Low complication and recurrence rates suggest that this technique may be an appropriate surgical modality to repair umbilical hernias 2 cm or less in size. Umbilical hernia repair with mesh appears to be superior over than tissue-suture repair without mesh.