Evaluation of Sepramesh biosurgical composite in a rabbit hernia repair model

Background In cases such as incisional hernia repair, polypropylene mesh (P PM) can be exposed to the underlying viscera and cause adhesions to the mes h. In this study, a composite prosthesis that was designed to be less susce ptible to adhesion formation than PPM was evaluated in a rabbit incisional hernia repair model. Materials and Methods. A 5 x 7-cm full-thickness defect was created in the abdominal wall of 30 female New Zealand White rabbits. Ten animals each wer e repaired with PPM, Bard Composix (PP/ePTFE), or Sepramesh biosurgical com posite-a polypropylene mesh coated on one side with chemically modified sod ium hyaluronate and carboxymethylcellulose (HA/CIVIC). The animals were sac rificed after 28 days and the overall performance, including adhesion forma tion and tissue integration by histology and mechanical testing, was evalua ted. Results. In the Sepramesh group, there was a significant reduction in the p ercentage of surface area covered by adhesions and a significant increase i n the percentage of animals with no adhesions compared to standard material s. The tissue integration strength and overall cellular response were simil ar in all groups. A partially remesothelialized peritoneal surface was ofte n apparent overlying the Sepramesh implant. Conclusions. Sepramesh biosurgical composite effectively repaired abdominal wall defects in rabbits and reduced adhesion development to the mesh compa red to the use of a PPM and a PP/ePTFE composite. (C) 2000 Academic Press.