A Hernia Defect Model in Laboratory Rat within the Framework of a Standardized Approach in Medical Research

Background : Ventral hernias remain a significant challenge in clinical practice worldwide. Scientific research in herniology focuses on improving the efficacy of hernioplasty and reducing perioperative complications. Currently, the absence of standardized protocol for preclinical studies on implantable materials in laboratory animals complicates the comparison of results and the selection of the optimal approach. Objective : To develop and validate a hernia defect model for anterior abdominal wall hernia repair. Materials and methods : An algorithm for modeling anterior abdominal wall hernia for experiments in herniology is proposed. The model was developed using laboratory Wistar rats. After surgical procedure, ultrasound examinations of the anterior abdominal wall were performed on days 30, 60 and 120. Subsequently, the rats were euthanized, and mechanical testing was conducted using a universal testing machine РЭМ-0,2-1 (Metrotest, Russia). Statistical analysis was performed using Excel (Microsoft Corporation, USA) and Statistica 13 software (Dell Software Company, USA) with the application of the nonparametric Mann-Whitney test. Furthermore, histological examination of anterior abdominal wall biopsy samples was conducted in the study groups. Conclusions : The proposed anterior abdominal wall hernia model can be used as a basis for preclinical research on new hernioprostheses.