The Radiologic Appearance of Prosthetic Materials Used in Hernia Repair and a Recommended Classification

OBJECTIVE: This article analyzes radiopaque properties of meshes currently used in hernia surgery. A search was conducted using PubMed and a combination of the terms "hernia repair," "mesh," "laparoscopy," "CT," "MRI," "radiopaque," and "high-resolution techniques." CONCLUSION: The visibility of meshes varies from not visible at all (e.g., Ultrapro), to hardly discernible (Prolene), to readily seen (Composix), and finally to the always visible (Dualmesh). Radiopaque properties of meshes have been insufficiently recognized by both the manufacturers and clinicians.