INTRAABDOMINAL MESH PROSTHESIS IN A CANINE MODEL

Laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair is still at an investigational sta ge, and varying methods have been described in the literature. These i nclude the transabdominal preperitoneal approach, the intraperitoneal onlay mesh procedure, and the extraperitoneal approach. This, study ev aluates the differences in macroscopic adhesion formation between tran sabdominal preperitoneal mesh placement, intraperitoneal onlay mesh pr ocedures, and extraperitoneal mesh placement in a canine model. The de termination of microscopic tissue ingrowth and mesh incorporation was not a goal of this study. Operative sites utilizing mesh in a reperito nealized fashion resulted in less adhesion formation than did those si tes where mesh was placed in an intraperitoneal manner using the onlay technique. Mesh placed in the extraperitoneal space without entering the peritoneal cavity did not exhibit any adhesion formation. Results favor the reperitonealization of intraabdominal mesh or mesh placement by an extraperitoneal approach.