Prolene hernia system in the tension-free repair of primary inguinal hernias

• Published in: Indian journal of surgery Vol. 65; no. 6
• Main Author: Vinod A. Chandiramani, Avinash N. Katara, Shefali M. Pandya, Nita S. Nair
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Medknow Publications on behalf of Association of Surgeons of India 16-02-2004
• Subjects: Prolene hernia system, Tension-free inguinal hernioplasty
• ISSN: 0972-2068

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of
using the Prolene® (polypropylene) Hernia System for open
tension-free repair on inguinal hernias, and study the results in terms
of operation time, patient comfort, hospital stay, return to normal
activity and postoperative complications. Material and Methods: From
February 2002 through April 2003, we performed 50 open tension-free
hernia repairs on 47 patients (46 men, 1 woman) with a mean age of 55.8
years. There were 26 right and 18 left hernias, and 3 were bilateral.
Of these, 39 were direct, 10 were indirect and 1 was femoral type. All
were primary hernias. Results: The duration of surgery averaged 35
minutes (range 20 to 90 min). There was no perioperative mortality.
Four patients developed mild self-limiting neuralgias. There were no
subcutaneous wound infections, no haematomas, no seromas and no
testicular atrophy. The average duration of postoperative
hospitalisation was 3.5 days. The length of follow-up ranged from 1
month to 15 months (mean= 6.24 months). We have had no recurrences so
far. Conclusion: The Prolene Hernia System is a novel approach in the
management of inguinal hernias, with encouraging initial results. Its
long-term efficacy needs to be studied with larger, prospective
double-blind randomized trials, with longer follow-up.