Mesh Repair and Long Term Complications

Abstract Background Biomedical engineering and new surgical approaches have grown together, remaining a big amount of surgical resources available today. Nevertheless, several mesh repair complications have been described, both acute and chronic. Chronic pain, fluid collections, mesh adhesions and failures have been described, characterized by enterocutaneous fistulizing disease, mesh shrinkage and migrations. Through this communication, 2 examples of those long-term complications are presented. Material and Methods The first patient is an 82-year-old woman with an anterior component separation made in 2016. 6 years after abdominal wall repair was carried out, the patient was hospitalized as an abdominal wall abscess was diagnosed. An enterocutaneous fistula between previous mesh and the small bowel was finally detected. A SNAP procedure was adopted, proceeding to a complete fistula escision at last. An intraabdominal long-term absorbable mesh was placed for posterior reinforcement. The second patient is a 76-year-old man with a previous Spiegel´s hernioplasty made in 2002. The patient reported pain in the left lower quadrant, where the mentioned hernioplasty was carried out. A plug-mesh intraabdominal migration was detected through radiological imagenes. Finally, a Transabdominal Preperitoneal Repair (TAPP) procedure was made to withdraw the previous mesh and to repair the groin area. Results No complication was described after 6–12 months. Both patients had their symptoms solved. Conclusion Abdominal wall repair specialization requires knowledge about new techniques and their complications. It is crucial to know and to identify complications as soon as possible to their succesful repair.