Delayed diagnosis of blunt carotid trauma in a seat belt syndrome with associated abdominal wall injury A case report

The aim of this case report is to be aware of occult carotid lesions in thoracic- abdominal trauma because, carotid artery injury consequent to blunt trauma is rare, affecting less than 1% of patients as reported in literature. A 45-years-old female, involved in a traffic accident, arrived to Emergency Room hemodynamically stable, with a Glasgow Coma Scale of 15, complaining abdominal pain, without any neurological signs. She underwent Computed Tomography (CT) scan that showed a complete disruption of left abdominal wall muscles, associated with massive bowel loops herniation. No free air nor other visceral injuries were found. The radiological brain evaluation was negative for neurological injuries. Considering the nature of the trauma, an explorative laparotomy was performed. During the fifth postoperative day, the patient presented neurological side signs with right facial-brachial-crural hemiparesis and expressive aphasia. Head and neck CT scan revealed a lesion of the left common carotid artery with distal embolization of the internal carotid. A left-carotid-axis revascularization procedure and a surgical endarterectomy were immediately performed. Patient was discharged after 20 days without neurological consequences. Physicians should be aware of neck vascular injuries when evaluating patients with multiple trauma, even in neurological asymptomatic patients without seatbelt abrasions of the neck skin.

KEY WORDS

Abdominal Hernia, Carotid artery, Seat belt, Surgery.

Postherpetic pseudohernia: delayed onset of paresis of abdominal muscles due to herpes zoster causing an ipsilateral abdominal bulge

Postherpetic pseudohernia causes an abdominal bulge as well as an abdominal wall herniation. This disease is one of the neurological complications of herpes zoster and essentially consists of paresis of ipsilateral abdominal muscles. Postherpetic pseudohernia may be mistaken for abdominal wall herniation because it is not well known. We describe two cases presenting an abdominal bulge. The ipsilateral abdominal bulge appeared after recovery from abdominal zoster. Abdominal CT showed no evidence of a herniation or mass. We diagnosed a postherpetic pseudohernia. One of the patients recovered spontaneously 4 months after the onset, and the other partially recovered after 2 months. This disease can be expected to disappear spontaneously, unlike abdominal herniation requiring surgery. It has been reported that 79.3% of patients eventually recovered spontaneously. For surgeons and general practitioners, it is beneficial to keep this disease in mind when examining a patient presenting an abdominal bulge.

Stapled Mesh Reinforcement Technique (SMART) to Prevent Parastomal Hernias: Our Initial Experience and Review of the Literature

Parastomal hernia is one of the most common stoma related complication, with the correlated risk of incarceration, obstruction, and strangulation. The incidence is high (30-50%) and depends on the length of follow up. Different surgical options for repairing are defective with a 25-70% failure and recurrence rate. Prevention of parastomal hernia with mesh reinforcement seems to be effective. Three available trials are recruiting patients: Prism (with matrix porcine prothesis), Prevent (with preperitoneal polypropylene mesh), and the stapled polypropylene mesh stoma reinforcement technique (SMART). We performed the SMART procedure in six patients undergoing definitive colostomy. Our cases show that the procedure is rapid (duration range 15-20 minutes), cost effective (500 euro), and safe (in our experience, there are no post-surgical complications that are procedure-related). A long term follow-up and a higher number of patients will give us confirmation of the initial hopeful results.

Trocar types in laparoscopy

BACKGROUND

Laparoscopic surgery has led to great clinical improvements in many fields of surgery; however, it requires the use of trocars, which may lead to complications as well as postoperative pain. The complications include intra-abdominal vascular and visceral injury, trocar site bleeding, herniation and infection. Many of these are extremely rare, such as vascular and visceral injury, but may be life-threatening; therefore, it is important to determine how these types of complications may be prevented. It is hypothesised that trocar-related complications and pain may be attributable to certain types of trocars. This systematic review was designed to improve patient safety by determining which, if any, specific trocar types are less likely to result in complications and postoperative pain.

OBJECTIVES

To analyse the rates of trocar-related complications and postoperative pain for different trocar types used in people undergoing laparoscopy, regardless of the condition.

SEARCH METHODS

Two experienced librarians conducted a comprehensive search for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in the Menstrual Disorders and Subfertility Group Specialised Register, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, CDSR and DARE (up to 26 May 2015). We checked trial registers and reference lists from trial and review articles, and approached content experts.

SELECTION CRITERIA

RCTs that compared rates of trocar-related complications and postoperative pain for different trocar types used in people undergoing laparoscopy. The primary outcomes were major trocar-related complications, such as mortality, conversion due to any trocar-related adverse event, visceral injury, vascular injury and other injuries that required intensive care unit (ICU) management or a subsequent surgical, endoscopic or radiological intervention. Secondary outcomes were minor trocar-related complications and postoperative pain. We excluded trials that studied non-conventional laparoscopic incisions.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently conducted the study selection, risk of bias assessment and data extraction. We used GRADE to assess the overall quality of the evidence. We performed sensitivity analyses and investigation of heterogeneity, where possible.

MAIN RESULTS

We included seven RCTs (654 participants). One RCT studied four different trocar types, while the remaining six RCTs studied two different types. The following trocar types were examined: radially expanding versus cutting (six studies; 604 participants), conical blunt-tipped versus cutting (two studies; 72 participants), radially expanding versus conical blunt-tipped (one study; 28 participants) and single-bladed versus pyramidal-bladed (one study; 28 participants). The evidence was very low quality: limitations were insufficient power, very serious imprecision and incomplete outcome data. Primary outcomesFour of the included studies reported on visceral and vascular injury (571 participants), which are two of our primary outcomes. These RCTs examined 473 participants where radially expanding versus cutting trocars were used. We found no evidence of a difference in the incidence of visceral (Peto odds ratio (OR) 0.95, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.06 to 15.32) and vascular injury (Peto OR 0.14, 95% CI 0.0 to 7.16), both very low quality evidence. However, the incidence of these types of injuries were extremely low (i.e. two cases of visceral and one case of vascular injury for all of the included studies). There were no cases of either visceral or vascular injury for any of the other trocar type comparisons. No studies reported on any other primary outcomes, such as mortality, conversion to laparotomy, intensive care admission or any re-intervention. Secondary outcomesFor trocar site bleeding, the use of radially expanding trocars was associated with a lower risk of trocar site bleeding compared to cutting trocars (Peto OR 0.28, 95% CI 0.14 to 0.54, five studies, 553 participants, very low quality evidence). This suggests that if the risk of trocar site bleeding with the use of cutting trocars is assumed to be 11.5%, the risk with the use of radially expanding trocars would be 3.5%. There was insufficient evidence to reach a conclusion regarding other trocar types, their related complications and postoperative pain, as no studies reported data suitable for analysis.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Data were lacking on the incidence of major trocar-related complications, such as visceral or vascular injury, when comparing different trocar types with one another. However, caution is urged when interpreting these results because the incidence of serious complications following the use of a trocar was extremely low. There was very low quality evidence for minor trocar-related complications suggesting that the use of radially expanding trocars compared to cutting trocars leads to reduced incidence of trocar site bleeding. These secondary outcomes are viewed to be of less clinical importance.Large, well-conducted observational studies are necessary to answer the questions addressed in this review because serious complications, such as visceral or vascular injury, are extremely rare. However, for other outcomes, such as trocar site herniation, bleeding or infection, large observational studies may be needed as well. In order to answer these questions, it is advisable to establish an international network for recording these types of complications following laparoscopic surgery.

[A Case of Strangulation Ileus with Hemorrhagic Shock Caused by an Internal Hernia of the Small Intestine]

PATIENT

An 81-year-old man. Past medical history: distal gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y reconstruction.

CHIEF COMPLAINT

epigastric pain, nausea, and hematemesis. History of present illness: the man developed epigastric pain, nausea, and hematemesis the day before visiting our hospital. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed that the small intestinal mucosa was extensively congested, and a clinical condition due to the previous gastric surgery was suspected. Therefore, the man was admitted to our department. The patient was diagnosed with strangulation ileus by contrast-enhanced abdominal CT, and was referred for emergency surgery. At the time of entering the operating room 3 hours later, his abdomen was remarkably swollen. After anesthesia induction, his blood pressure dropped to 40-49 mmHg, and he was in a state of shock. Strangulation ileus was caused by an internal hernia of the small intestine through the gap between the mesenteric sutures of the Roux-en-Y reconstruction. The small intestinal wall was significantly discolored and remarkably expanded due to bleeding into the small intestine. We determined that mass resection of the small intestine posed high risk, and performed only reduction of the small intestinal hernia. Since strangulated ileus causing hemorrhagic shock is rare, we describe the case and review the literature on the topic.

High frequency of internal hernias after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass

BACKGROUND

Internal hernias (IH) after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) are a serious concern among surgeons and are often under-diagnosed due to heterogeneity of clinical manifestations. Our aim is to assess the frequency of IH after a RYGB in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis of our bariatric surgery unit's database between 2001 and 2013 is obtained. Patients are surgically explored after RYGB due to acute bowel obstruction (ABO), intermittent abdominal pain (IAP), or being asymptomatic (during an elective cholecystectomy) in whom anatomical presence of IH was established. Also, we compared patients with retrocolic and antecolic technique. Statistical analysis with non-parametric tests and chi-square are used.

RESULTS

Of the patients, 3,656 submitted to RYGB during this period, 81.9% (2,993) by laparoscopy and 26.3% (963) with retrocolic technique. Of the patients, 130 (3.5%) were surgically explored due to ABO, 27 patients (0.7%) due to IAP, and 93 patients (2.5%) submitted to an elective cholecystectomy with exploration for IH. IH was present in 75% of the obstructed patients, and in 69%, it was the cause of obstruction. Patients with IAP showed 59% of IH, but only 15% have herniated bowel. In asymptomatic patients, 25% showed IH and none of them have herniated bowel. Retrocolic technique showed a higher risk of whole causes of ABO and IH than the antecolic technique, with a relative risk of 1.53 (1.07-2.17) and 1.62 (1.06-2.47), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

A high frequency of IH exists in all operated patients of this series. All members of the bariatric team should be aware of the symptoms related to IH and actively pursue it during follow-up.

Treatment of Abdominal Segmental Hernia, Constipation, and Pain Following Herpes Zoster with Paravertebral Block

Herpes zoster (HZ) most commonly occurs in elderly patients and involves sensory neurons resulting in pain and sensory changes. Clinically significant motor deficits and visceral neuropathies are thought to be relatively rare. A 72-year-old man presented with abdominal segmental hernia, constipation, and pain following HZ in the left T9-10 dermatome. Sixteen days before presentation, he had developed a painful herpetic rash in the left upper abdominal quadrant. Approximately 10 days after the onset of the rash, constipation occurred and was managed with daily oral medication with bisacodyl 5 mg. In addition, 14 days after the onset of HZ, the patient noticed a protrusion of the left upper abdominal wall. Abdominal x-ray, ultrasound of the abdomen, and electrolyte analysis showed no abnormalities. General physical examination revealed a reducible bulge in his left upper quadrant and superficial abdominal reflexes were diminished in the affected region. Electromyographic testing revealed denervational changes limited to the left thoracic paraspinal muscles and supraumbilical muscles, corresponding to the affected dermatomes. He was prescribed with 500 mg of famciclovir 3 times a day for 7 days, and pregabalin 75 mg twice a day and acetaminophen 650 mg 3 times a day for 14 days. However, his pain was rated at an intensity of 5 on the numerical analogue scale from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain imaginable). A paravertebral block was performed at T9-10 with a mixture of 0.5% lidocaine 3 mL and triamcinolone 40 mg. One day after the procedure, the abdominal pain disappeared. In addition, 5 days after the intervention, the abdominal protrusion and constipation were resolved. He currently remains symptom free at a 6 month follow-up.

Current state of laparoscopic parastomal hernia repair: A meta-analysis

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the laparoscopic approaches for parastomal hernia repair reported in the literature.

METHODS: A systematic review of PubMed and MEDLINE databases was conducted using various combination of the following keywords: stoma repair, laparoscopic, parastomal, and hernia. Case reports, studies with less than 5 patients, and articles not written in English were excluded. Eligible studies were further scrutinized with the 2011 levels of evidence from the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. Two authors reviewed and analyzed each study. If there was any discrepancy between scores, the study in question was referred to another author. A meta -analysis was performed using both random and fixed-effect models. Publication bias was evaluated using Begg’s funnel plot and Egger’s regression test. The primary outcome analyzed was recurrence of parastomal hernia. Secondary outcomes were mesh infection, surgical site infection, obstruction requiring reoperation, death, and other complications. Studies were grouped by operative technique where indicated. Except for recurrence, most postoperative morbidities were reported for the overall cohort and not by approach so they were analyzed across approach.

RESULTS: Fifteen articles with a total of 469 patients were deemed eligible for review. Most postoperative morbidities were reported for the overall cohort, and not by approach. The overall postoperative morbidity rate was 1.8% (95%CI: 0.8-3.2), and there was no difference between techniques. The most common postoperative complication was surgical site infection, which was seen in 3.8% (95%CI: 2.3-5.7). Infected mesh was observed in 1.7% (95%CI: 0.7-3.1), and obstruction requiring reoperation also occurred in 1.7% (95%CI: 0.7-3.0). Other complications such as ileus, pneumonia, or urinary tract infection were noted in 16.6% (95%CI: 11.9-22.1). Eighty-one recurrences were reported overall for a recurrence rate of 17.4% (95%CI: 9.5-26.9). The recurrence rate was 10.2% (95%CI: 3.9-19.0) for the modified laparoscopic Sugarbaker approach, whereas the recurrence rate was 27.9% (95%CI: 12.3-46.9) for the keyhole approach. There were no intraoperative mortalities reported and six mortalities during the postoperative course.

CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic intraperitoneal mesh repair is safe and effective for treating parastomal hernia. A modified Sugarbaker approach appears to provide the best outcomes.

Operative complications during pregnancy after gastric bypass--a register-based cohort study

BACKGROUND

Late complications to bariatric surgery during pregnancy have become an area of concern. Expansion of the uterus and the following displacement of the small intestine may increase the risk of internal herniation. We wanted to estimate the risk and consequences of surgical complications during pregnancy in a national cohort of women with a history of gastric bypass surgery.

METHODS

A national, register-based cohort study of all Danish women with a history of gastric bypass surgery who had given birth from 2004 to 2010 was conducted. Surgical codes registered during pregnancy and until 120 days postpartum were identified in national registers, and the individual charts were reviewed in relevant cases.

RESULTS

Of 286 women giving birth, fourteen women underwent procedures that might be related to the earlier gastric bypass surgery. Three women were operated on suspicion of internal herniation. In all three cases, mesenteric defects were found, and herniation was still present in two women, one of which died postoperatively. Five women were investigated by gastroscopy or sigmoidoscopy either during or after the delivery, and in six women cholecystectomy was performed during the puerperium.

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of internal herniation during pregnancy was 1 % in our study. Internal herniation may be a serious complication in pregnant women, and both the diagnosis and treatment requires handling by experienced obstetrical, radiological, and surgical staff.

A meta-analysis of the association of primary abdominal wall hernia with abdominal aortic aneurysm

AIM

Aim of the study was to determine whether primary abdominal wall hernia (AWH) is associated with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) presence, we performed a meta-analysis of studies investigating the association with primary AWH and AAA.

METHODS

Medline and Embase were searched through January 2014 using Web-based search engines (PubMed and OVID). Studies considered for inclusion met the following criteria: the design was a comparative study; the study population was patients with AAA and subjects without AAA or patients with primary AWH and subjects without primary AWH; and outcomes included primary AWH incidence in both the AAA and control groups or AAA incidence in both the primary AWH and control groups. For each study, data regarding primary AWH incidence in both the AAA and control groups were used to generate unadjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS

Of 151 potentially relevant articles screened initially, 14 eligible studies were identified and included. A pooled analysis of all the 14 studies demonstrated significantly higher primary AWH incidence in the AAA group than that in the control group in the random-effects model (OR 2.32; 95% CI, 1.72 to 3.14; P for effect <0.00001; P for heterogeneity <0.00001). When data from 5 studies reporting adjusted ORs and other 9 studies were combined separately, primary AWH was significantly associated with AAA presence. Eliminating 3 large-size population-based studies did not substantially change the pooled estimate.

CONCLUSION

Primary AWH appears to be associated with AAA presence.

[MINIINVASIVE TECHNOLOGIES IN TREATMENT OF POSTOPERATIVE ABDOMINAL HERNIAS]

Methods and results of treatment of 119 patients, suffering postoperative abdominal hernia, were analyzed. There was established, that application of laparoscopic miniinvasive technologies permits to improve the results of treatment in patients in comparison with those after open operative interventions, due to shortening of the operation duration, better visualization during viscerolysis conduction, shortening of rehabilitation period, the patients postoperative quality of life improvement.

Single Port vs. Four Port Cholecystectomy--Randomized Trial on Quality of Life

BACKGROUND

Classical laparoscopic cholecystectomy involves four ports while most novel 'single port' technique only requires one incision on the abdominal wall. This technique is thought to decrease surgical trauma and improve cosmesis although there are reports pointing out that classical laparoscopic cholecystectomy is also feasible in terms of cosmesis.

OBJECTIVES

In this study we tried to determine if there are certain advantages in quality of life after single port surgery which would justify its utilization instead of classical laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This is a prospective randomized study which enrolled 30 patients randomized either into classical laparoscopic cholecystectomy or single port surgery. The primary endpoint was patient satisfaction after surgery. This was assessed with short form 36 and gastrointestinal quality of life index (first preoperatively and then 3 months postoperatively) and a visual analogue scale on the first and seventh days.

RESULTS

There was not a statistically significant difference between groups in the emotional role, social functions, mental health, vitality and general health subscales of short form 36. At the end of 12 weeks, both groups demonstrated increases in the gastrointestinal and social subscales of the gastrointestinal quality of life index. There was not a statistically significant difference between groups when the visual analogue scale scores on first and seventh days were compared.

CONCLUSIONS

The equal length of hospitalization, patient quality of life and pain perception and the longer operative times, high likelihood of incisional hernia and surgical site infection call into question the utilization of single port surgery, as it does not seem to confer an advantage over classical laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

[MORPHOMETRIC AND HISTOLOGICAL CHANGES OF TISSUES IN PATIENTS, WHO UNDERWENT OPERATIONS FOR POSTOPERATIVE ABDOMINAL HERNIAS]

The impact of hernioplasty on postoperative morphometric and histological changes in tissues of patients, suffering postoperative abdominal hernias (POAH), was studied. For POAH 135 patients were operated, in 85 of them (the main group)--combined methods of hernial gate plasty in accordance to procedures proposed, and in 50 (control group)--classical methods of hernial gate were applied. The most favorable course of the wound process of the inflammatory, changes reduction and stabilization of the tissues reaction on implant already on the 7th postoperative day was noted after application of a sub lay method in original modification.

Use of biological prosthesis in a patient with kidney and pancreas transplant and a giant incisional hernia: case report

OBJECTIVES

The use of synthetic mesh in transplant patients is controversial. Recent studies have shown that biological prostheses have a greater ability to integrate into tissues, resist bacterial colonization, and reduce cytotoxic or allergic reactions, and provide similar functional results, compared with synthetic prostheses. Biological prostheses do not require any reduction or discontinuation of immunosuppressive therapy. We present the case of a kidney and pancreas transplant recipient who had a giant incisional hernia that was treated successfully with a biological prosthesis.

CASE REPORT

A 40-year-old male kidney and pancreas transplant recipient was admitted to our hospital with a giant incisional hernia, 2 years after transplant. The defect on the abdominal wall was 40 . 30 cm. We used 2 biological prostheses (40 . 20 cm and 30 . 20 cm) to close the abdominal wall. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 5 without complications. An abdominal magnetic resonance imaging scan showed complete integrity of the biological prostheses at 1 year after surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

Transplant recipients have higher risks with use of synthetic prostheses because of being immunosuppressed, compared with other patients. Recent studies show that biological prostheses provided similar functional results without complications compared with synthetic prostheses. These prostheses are versatile and do not require any changes in immunosuppressive therapy. Therefore, they seem to be a better option than synthetic prostheses. In our opinion, biological prostheses are more safe, effective, and reliable than synthetic prostheses, especially for large incisional hernias in transplant recipients. We believe that further larger studies can support our opinion.

Repair of complex parastomal hernias

Development of parastomal hernias (PH) is very common after stoma formation and carries a risk of subsequent bowel incarceration, obstruction and strangulation. The management of PH remains a challenge for the colorectal surgeon, and there are currently no standardized guidelines for the treatment of PH. Even more difficult is the management of complex parastomal hernias (CPH). We conducted a review of the literature to identify recent developments in the treatment of CPH, including analysis of the use of synthetic and biologic mesh prostheses, method of mesh placement and surgical approach.

Incidence and risk factors of incisional hernia formation following abdominal organ transplantation

BACKGROUND

Hernia formation is common following abdominal operations, and transplant patients are at increased risk due to postoperative immunosuppression. The purpose of this study was to estimate the incidence of incisional hernia formation following primary abdominal solid organ transplantation and identify clinical risk factors for hernia formation.

METHODS

We performed a single-institution retrospective review of a prospectively collected database to evaluate all patients who underwent primary liver, kidney, or pancreas transplantation between 2000 and 2011. The primary outcome was hernia formation at the transplant incision. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to identify risk factors for incisional hernia formation.

RESULTS

A total of 3,460 transplants were performed during the study period: 2,247 kidney only, 718 liver only, and 495 pancreas or simultaneous pancreas and kidney (pancreas group). The overall incisional hernia rate was 7.5 %. The Kaplan-Meier rates of hernia formation at 1, 5, and 10 years were 2.5, 4.9, and 7.0 % for kidney; 4.5, 13.6, and 19.0 % for liver; and 2.5, 12.7, and 21.8 % for the pancreas groups. On univariate analysis, surgical site infection (SSI), body mass index (BMI) >25, delayed graft function, and withholding a calcineurin inhibitor or mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) were associated with hernia formation in the kidney group. SSI and BMI >25 were associated with hernia formation in the liver group. In the pancreas group, SSI, cyclosporine, and withholding MMF were all associated with hernia formation. On multivariate analysis, SSI was strongly associated with hernia formation in all groups. Hazard ratio: kidney = 24.71 (13.00-46.97); liver = 12.0 (6.40-22.52); pancreas = 12.95 (2.78-60.29).

CONCLUSION

Incisional hernias are common following abdominal organ transplant with nearly one in five patients developing an incisional hernia 5 years after liver or pancreas transplantation. Strategies focusing on prevention and early treatment of SSI may help to decrease the risk of incisional hernia formation following abdominal organ transplantation.

Handlebar hernia: case report and literature review

Handlebar hernia is a rare traumatic abdominal wall hernia occurring after blunt trauma. We report a case of an adolescent patient with a traumatic rectus muscle abdominal wall hernia produced by injury with the bicycle handlebar. The skin abrasion caused by the trauma and a swelling reproduced after a Valsalva maneuver suggested the diagnosis. Traumatic wall hernias after blunt trauma should be repaired primarily to avoid complications.

Recurrent perineal hernia -- case report and review of the literature

Perineal hernia is the protrusion of intra-abdominal viscera through the pelvic floor. We present a patient with recurrent perineal hernia - 12x9 cm with a palpable soft, hardly adjustable in the pelvic tunnel formation and attenuated skin over it. The patient was operated by abdominoperineal approach. We performed two layer Titanium mesh plasty of the pelvic floor with the use of the omentum and the pelvic muscles.

Abdominal hernias: a clinical review of their assessment and management in the Naval Service

Hernias are a relatively common occurrence in the armed forces community and may affect an individual's fitness for duty and impact on operational capability, particularly in specialist occupations. Their early identification and management will allow appropriate treatment and minimise any impact on operational capability. This article aims to summarise the assessment and management of simple hernias and considers occupational considerations in their management for personnel serving in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines.

Prevention of Parastomal Hernia Using Pre-peritoneal Mesh - Long Term Outcome of a Prospective Study

BACKGROUND

Parastomal hernia is a frequent complication after stoma formation. The objective of this prospective study was to find long-term outcome of prophylactic mesh placement in the pre-peritoneal space in order to prevent parastomal hernia.

METHODS

Patients undergoing elective formation of permanent stoma were included in the study. A polypropylene mesh was placed in the pre-peritoneal space without any anchoring stitches and bowel was taken out through a central circular hole made in the mesh. These patients were followed up for 5 years-by clinical examination and CT scan when needed.

RESULTS

A total of 42 patients were included in the study. These patients were followed up for a median period of 60 months (range 32-100 months). Twelve patients died before the 5-year follow up due to causes unrelated to stoma. As two patients were unable to be contacted, 28 patients remained in the long-term follow up. Three cases of parastomal hernia were detected after 5 years. None of these patients required repairing of the parastomal hernia. However, a previous study conducted 3 years ago found 4 cases of parastomal hernia that was treated by resiting the stomas. Therefore the total number of parastomal hernia detected in our series is 7 (incidence 25%).

CONCLUSIONS

Putting a pre-peritoneal polypropylene mesh is an easy, quick and inexpensive method, and easy to learn. The outcome is better than creating stomas without mesh, but further studies are needed to explore potential benefits of different types of mesh and their methods of positioning and anchoring.