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.