Factors affecting recurrence after incisional hernia repair

Incisional hernias occur primarily as a result of high tension and inadequate healing of a previous incision, the latter of which is frequently related to infection at the surgical site. Despite recent advances in operative techniques, the recurrence rate remains unacceptably high. To evaluate the impact of different predisposing factors for the recurrence of incisional hernia, we reviewed retrospectively the medical records of 297 patients who had undergone incisional herniorrhaphy (188 tissue repairs, 109 mesh repairs) in our hospital. Demographic data (age and gender), type of repair, body mass index, hernia size, presence of chronic illnesses and wound complications were evaluated in a univariate and multivariate manner analysis. The overall recurrence rate was 30.3%, with the recurrence rate in patients who underwent tissue repair being 39.4% and that in patients following prosthetic repair 14.6%. The recurrence rate was significantly influenced by type of repair, obesity, hernia size, wound healing disorders and some chronic comorbidities. We conclude that it is necessary to become familar with the risk factors for recurrence of incisional hernia in order to eliminate or decrease their effect on the positive outcome of incisional herniorrhaphy.     

Factors that affect recurrence after anterior colporrhaphy procedure reinforced with four-corner anchored polypropylene mesh

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the anterior colporrhaphy procedure reinforced with four-corner anchored polypropylene mesh in patients with severe (stage III or IV) anterior vaginal prolapse. Thirty-eight consecutive women were enlisted for this prospective study. The procedure consisted of an extensive vaginal dissection to join the vesicovaginal and retropubic space and an anchoring of a polypropylene mesh patch between the two Arcus Tendineus Fasciae Pelvis in a tension-free manner. The mean age of the study group was 63 (33–80) years. The success rate was 87% (33/38) at a mean follow-up interval of 21 (12–29) months. A total of eight (100%) patients were also cured of concomitant stress incontinence (five overt and three occult type) with an additional tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) operation. During follow-up, there were five de-novo stress incontinence cases (16.7%) and four vaginal erosions of mesh (10.5%). Four clinical variables—diabetes mellitus, recurrent anterior vaginal prolapse, chronic cough and vaginal erosions of mesh—were found to have a significant correlation with an unsatisfactory surgical result with large values of hazard ratios found by survival analysis. We concluded that the anterior colporrhaphy procedure reinforced with four-corner anchored polypropylene mesh was effective for most, but failed in some patients who had specific risk factors within short convalescence periods. Concomitant stress incontinence can be successfully treated by a TVT operation in combination with the anterior colporrhaphy procedure reinforced with four-corner anchored polypropylene mesh. However, the anterior colporrhaphy procedure may itself have adverse effects on urethral sphincter function.Abbreviations POPQ Pelvic organ prolapse quantitation - TVT Tension-free vaginal tape Editorial Comment: This article is a case series of 38 patients followed for a mean of 21 months following pelvic reconstructive surgery with concomitant prolene reinforced anterior colporrhaphy. Optimal outcome was achieved in 87% of patients; however, the 10.5% mesh erosion rate and 16.7% de novo stress incontinence rate following this procedure are of concern. Synthetic vaginal mesh reinforcements should be used with caution. More data with regard to long-term sexual function is also needed.     

Sublay法无张力修补术治疗腹壁切口疝(附21例报告)

目的探讨Sublay法腹壁切口疝无张力修补术的手术方法和疗效。方法回顾性总结和分析2003年至2009年我院Sublay法无张力修补术治疗21例腹壁切口疝的临床资料。结果21例患者均痊愈出院,无严重并发症出现,无死亡病例。21例患者均获随访,随访时间5～60个月,平均23个月。5例(24%)有术后慢性疼痛,3例(14%)有腹壁异物感,1例(5%)术后22个月后复发,其余患者随访至今未出现复发,但有3例(14%)出现手术修补区域的局部膨出。结论Sublay法腹壁切口疝无张力修补术对腹腔内脏器影响小,术后恢复快,复发率低,是最为牢固的修补方法之一。     

Incidence of incisional recurrence after thoracoscopy

Background: Incisional recurrence after thoracoscopic surgery has been reported infrequently. In recent years, several reports of port-site recurrence after laparoscopic oncologic procedures have been published. This study evaluates the incidence of incisional recurrence among patients with intrathoracic malignancy after diagnostic and therapeutic thoracoscopy. Methods: The medical records of all patients with intrathoracic malignancies who underwent thoracoscopic procedures between 1992 and 1998 at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Linkou Medical Center were reviewed. Information includes preoperative tumor status, thoracoscopic findings, primary tumor location, tumor pathology, procedures performed, and perioperative complications were recorded. Results: A total of 1,069 patients with known intrathoracic malignancies underwent thoracoscopy. The mean follow-up time was 17.1 months (range, 1–68 months). Two recurrences at the incision were identified (0.19%). Both patients with incision-site recurrence had advanced intrathoracic disease at the time of thoracoscopy. The one patient had a malignant pleural effusion (T4), and the other had diffuse pleural metastasis. Conclusion: The incidence of incisional recurrence after thoracoscopic oncologic surgery is very low. When recurrence occurs at the incision, it is associated most commonly with advanced intrathoracic disease. Additional patients and a longer follow-up evaluation are required, however, to confirm this observation.     

Interstitial recurrence,with chronic inguinodynia,after Lichtenstein herniorrhaphy

Not long after Lichtenstein and Shulman (1986) introduced their subaponeurotic repair, Nyhus (1989) expressed concern regarding subprosthetic incarceration. Even though interstitial recurrence was not encountered over the subsequent decade or more, one of us (AIG) was referred three cases over the past 3 years. Two men and a woman suffered from chronic inguinodynia 1–6 years following a Lichtenstein procedure for unilateral primary inguinal herniation. A mass, in an unusual location (spigelian line) was palpated in one, the other two required ultrasound studies for diagnosis. All at surgery revealed indirect sacs, and one also had a separate protrusion in the lateral triangle of the groin. Two were repaired laparoscopically, the other using a bilayer connected prosthetic device. Our hypothesis is that this painful complication is now appearing because of recent modifications to the operative technique. An overlay lax dome-shaped prosthesis cannot be relied on to always initially collapse the inguinal canal. Mini-dissection, by limiting exposure, may prevent placement of the keyhole in the mesh close enough to the internal inguinal ring. Studies are under way to determine the validity of these conclusions.Presented in part at the 2004 Annual Meeting of the American Hernia Society, February 25–28, 2004, Orlando, Fla. USA     

无张力疝修补术后16例补片感染的临床分析

目的评价无张力疝修补术后补片感染的发生率、危险因素以及治疗方法。方法回顾性调查无张力疝修补术968例,分析术前、术中、术后的各种因素以及补片的感染率。结果 968例患者中有16例术后发生补片感染,补片感染率为1.65%。补片感染的危险因素:肥胖(P=0.029),糖尿病(P=0.010),疝的类型(P0.01),是否急诊手术(P=0.022),手术时间180min(P=0.012)。11例PPL补片(聚丙烯补片)感染中有7例运用了保守的治疗方法治愈,而e-PTFE补片(膨化聚四氟乙烯补片)以及复合补片的感染需要取出补片。结论产生补片感染的因素很多;有效的运用抗生素和引流可以解决大多数的聚丙烯PPL补片的感染,但膨化聚四氟乙烯e-PTFE补片需要及早的取出以解决补片感染。     

Chronic pain and recurrence after laparoscopic inguinal herniorrhaphy

Chronic pain after open inguinal herniorrhaphy is a complication with an incidence of 10-20% and recurrence in 2-5% of the patients. We here present our experience with the laparoscopic technique. Patients who had undergone laparoscopic inguinal herniorrhaphy (TAPP) in our department from 1995 to 2002 received a questionnaire (N = 161). Patients were asked whether they had chronic pain or recurrence; if so, they were seen in the outpatient clinic. A total of 146 patients responded to the questionnaire (91%). Chronic pain was found in 6 patients (4%) and recurrence in 2 patients (1.4%); 134 patients (92%) had previously had inguinal herniorrhaphy with an open procedure (all Lichtenstein) on the same side. Of these, 105 (78%) preferred the laparoscopic procedure. Laparoscopic inguinal herniorrhaphy led to a very low incidence of chronic pain and recurrence compared with previous reports in open surgery. The majority of our patients were operated on for recurrent hernias, after which an even lower incidence of chronic pain and fewer recurrences in laparoscopic primary herniorrhaphies could be expected.     

Current considerations in laparoscopic incisional and ventral herniorrhaphy.

Laparoscopic ventral and incisional herniorrhaphy is gaining popularity among both surgeons and patients. The key to the success of this procedure is avoidance of complications. In this article, important considerations in the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative aspects of this procedure are reviewed, with a particular focus on the repair of incisional defects. Surgical considerations to assist in the prevention of certain pitfalls associated with laparoscopic repair of ventral and incisional hernias are described.     

Factors that affect keratotomy depth

The authors investigated nine factors which can affect the depth of incisions performed during refractive keratotomy: (1) vertical vs oblique-cutting edge of the knife blade, (2) direction of cutting, (3) cutting velocity, (4) American vs Russian technique, (5) intraocular pressure (IOP), (6) initial vs final incisions, (7) sharpness of knife blade, (8) single vs double footplate, and (9) square vs double-edged blade. These variables were examined independently, performing at least 40 incisions for each experimental parameter studied. The depth of the resulting incisions was measured histologically using the micrometer eyepiece. The average and the standard deviation were calculated. The paired Student's t-test was used to establish significant differences between the two conditions investigated for each parameter. Factors that were demonstrated to increase significantly the depth of the incisions included: the vertical-cutting edge, the triple-edged diamond knife, the sharpness of the knife, and the single foot knife. High velocity in performing the incisions and, to a lesser extent, low IOP were the main factors that induced irregularity in depth.     

Factors influencing patient disposition after ambulatory herniorrhaphy

Purpose:

To determine factors associated with patient disposition status other than discharge to their customary residence (DCR) after elective, ambulatory inguinal hernia repair (IHR).

Materials and methods:

N = 7953 patients who underwent IHR were identified in the National Survey of Ambulatory Surgery (NSAS). Disposition status was examined by age, sex, race, type of anesthetic, anesthesia provider, expected source of payment, laterality of the procedure, facility type and US region. Logistic regression was used to examine independent risk factors for such disposition status.

Results:

Independent risk factors for disposition status other than DCR included anesthesia type, anesthesia provider, increasing age of the patient, and bi- versus unilaterality of the procedure. Differences in disposition status were also found by facility type and US region in which the procedure was performed.

Discussion:

The increased cost associated with a disposition status other than DCR requires identification of factors that independently contribute to such an outcome. In this study a number of anesthesia related and unrelated factors were identified that may impact on the disposition of patients undergoing ambulatory inguinal hernia repair. In light of limitations inherent to analysis of large databases our results should be interpreted with caution and prospective trials are needed for validation of our findings. The value of our results may lie particularly in the hypothesis generation for such trials.     

Factors that affect human islet isolation

More than 10,000 IEQ/kg recipient weight of islets is often necessary to achieve insulin independence in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Several studies have identified high donor body mass index (BMI) and pancreas size as important factors for the success of human islet isolation. However, the donor shortage underscores the need to improve isolation outcomes from lower BMI pancreas donors and/or small pancreata. The aim of this study was to identify the critical factors that affect isolation outcome. We analyzed the data from 207 isolations performed from 2002 to 2006 with respect to donor characteristics, pancreas condition, and processing variables. More than 3000 IEQ/g pancreas weight was considered to be an acceptable isolation outcome. This goal was obtained from donors with a BMI >30 kg/m2 (P = .002). The pancreatic surface integrity was also a significant factor (P = .02). Moreover, longer digestion times (P = .04) and a greater proportion of trapped islets negatively affected success rates (P = .004). As previously reported, pancreata from high BMI donors were suitable for islet isolation and transplantation, as they yielded higher total islet particle numbers and higher IEQ/g. Although BMI and pancreas size are not controllable due to the organ donor shortage, factors such as pancreatic surface integrity, shorter digestion time, and lower proportions of trapped islets were found to be significant to obtain higher success rates. The development of better protocols and systematic training of processing/procurement teams will be of assistance to increase the number of successful human islet isolations.     

Primary closure of laparotomies with high risk of incisional hernia using prosthetic material: analysis of usefulness

Incisional hernia continues to be a serious postoperative complication in abdominal surgery. We present a prospective randomised study to evaluate the usefulness of placement of a supra-aponeurotic polypropylene mesh in the primary closure of laparotomies with a high risk of incisional hernia. Closure of a vertical laparotomy in 100 patients was accomplished with continuous suture using non-reabsorbable material, with placement of a polypropylene mesh on the aponeurotic surface in 50 patients. Three years after surgery, five patients in the group without the mesh had suffered incisional hernia. No incisional hernia was detected in the group in which closure was made using the mesh (P=0.02). Use of prosthetic material (polypropylene mesh) in the primary closure of laparotomies with a high risk of incisional hernia is useful for reduction of the rate of incisional hernias.     

Sonographic diagnosis of early recurrence after inguinal herniorrhaphy: Potential pitfalls

Three patients who presented with scrotal swelling within a few days of inguinal herniorrhaphy are reported. Ultrasonography scans performed in these patients all demonstrated features suspicious of recurrence of hernia. One patient underwent surgical exploration, which revealed only a scrotal haematoma without evidence of recurrent hernia. The other two patients were managed conservatively because clinically the swellings were regarded to be more compatible with haematoma. Both patients had subsequent resolution of the scrotal swelling with no clinical evidence of recurrence of hernia on follow‐up. It is concluded that sonographic diagnosis of recurrence of hernia shortly after inguinal herniorrhaphy can occasionally be misleading.     

完全腹膜外腹腔镜腹股沟疝修补术的临床应用

目的：总结完全腹膜外腹腔镜腹股沟疝修补术（totally extraperitoneal prosthetic,TEP）的临床应用经验。方法：回顾分析2007年4月至2008年8月我院收治的58例腹股沟疝患者行TEP手术的临床资料。其中直疝16例、斜疝42例;单侧疝46例、双侧疝12例;复发疝16例。结果：手术均获成功,无中转手术。手术时间50～140min（平均单侧90min、双侧120min）。术后无须使用镇痛剂,住院时间3～10d,平均5d。术后出现阴囊血肿4例,血清肿21例。随访1～15个月,术后无复发。结论：TEP手术安全可靠,具有并发症少,术后疼痛轻、康复快、复发率低等优点,可同时对双侧疝进行处理,无需全身麻醉,具有明显的优越性,有广泛的应用前景,是值得临床推广的微创技术。     

Congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia. Factors that affect results

Congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia is a rare disease of unknown etiology and variable natural history. Treatment offers a high percentage of poor results. The decision of when the limb will be cosmetically and functionally better than a below-knee prosthesis is a critical one that the orthopedic physician must reach with the patient. The presence or absence of neurofibromatosis apparently does not alter the result. Those cases which show a cystic radiographic appearance have a more favorable prognosis than those which become or present as dysplastic. The more times the patient is bone grafted without success, the worse the result is likely to be. Shortening of the limb is not only important from a functional standpoint but may also serve as a prognostic index for the difficulty of achieving union as well as subsequent problems with ankle stiffness, pain, and deformity. The response to grafting may also be an important factor in determining the result; those patients who rapidly resorb the graft have a poor chance for a successful outcome. It does not appear that the type of bone grafting procedure is of large significance unless the graft has its own blood supply. Although prophylactic grafting cannot be demonstrated to alter the natural history of this disease, it, along with other developmental techniques, may be advisable.     

腹腔镜复合补片无张力修补术治疗腹壁切口疝的临床体会

目的:探讨腹腔镜复合补片无张力修补术治疗腹壁切口疝的应用价值及可靠性。方法:回顾分析2007年1月至2012年1月为56例患者行腹腔镜复合补片修补术的临床资料。结果:3例因广泛粘连中转开腹,53例成功完成手术。手术时间70～320 min,中位手术时间110 min。术中发现隐匿性疝2例。术后Ⅰ级护理时间1天,术后24 h即恢复进食并下床活动。术后发生较长时间疼痛1例、感染1例。随访至今均未发现复发。结论:术后并发切口疝的患者于腹腔镜下分离粘连、采用复合补片修补是安全可行的。     

Inguinal hernia recurrence after prosthetic repair: our experience

Inguinal hernia recurrence after prosthetic repair is a very rare clinical condition (1%), but it is probably underestimated and hard to resolve surgically. The authors reports their experience with 16 recurrent post-prosthetic inguinal hernias. A greater incidence of recurrence was noted in obese patients with concomitant chronic diseases (56%). Hernia recurrences following prosthetic repair are often asymptomatic. The use of Lichtenstein's plug technique yielded satisfactory results in terms of rehabilitation and incidence of recurrence and is also associated with a very low risk of complications.     

Long-term recurrence and complication rates after incisional hernia repair with the open onlay technique

Background

Family history, male gender and age are significant risk factors for inguinal hernia disease. Family history provides evidence for a genetic trait and could explain early recurrence after inguinal hernia repair despite technical advance at least in a subgroup of patients. This study evaluates if age and family history can be identified as risk factors for early recurrence after primary hernia repair.

Methods

We performed an observational cohort study for 75 patients having at least two recurrent hernias. The impact of age, gender and family history on the onset of primary hernias, age at first recurrence and recurrence rates was investigated.

Results

44% (33/75) of recurrent hernia patients had a family history and primary as well as recurrent hernias occurred significantly earlier in this group (p = 0.04). The older the patients were at onset the earlier they got a recurrent hernia. Smoking could be identified as on additional risk factor for early onset of hernia disease but not for hernia recurrence.

Conclusion

Our data reveal an increased incidence of family history for recurrent hernia patients when compared with primary hernia patients. Patients with a family history have their primary hernias as well as their recurrence at younger age then patients without a family history. Though recurrent hernia has to be regarded as a disease caused by multiple factors, a family history may be considered as a criterion to identify the risk for recurrence before the primary operation.     

Long-term recurrence and complication rates after incisional hernia repair with the open onlay technique

Background  

Incisional hernia after abdominal surgery is a well-known complication. Controversy still exists with respect to the choice of hernia repair technique. The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term recurrence rate as well as surgical complications in a consecutive group of patients undergoing open repair using an onlay mesh technique.