Abdominal adhesions in laparoscopic hernia repair - An experimental study

Laparoscopic herniorrhaphy is becoming an increasingly common procedure. The possible creation of intraperitoneal adhesions during laparoscopic herniorrhaphy has not been examined. For the transperitoneal hernia repair to be an acceptable option, the hypothesis that this approach will incite significant adhesions must be rejected. To test this hypothesis, 21 pigs underwent laparoscopic herniorrhaphy using a standard procedure with the implantation of a polypropylene mesh graft on one side while a sham procedure was performed on the other. These animals were later examined laparoscopically for adhesion formation and the condition of the graft. None of the 21 animals developed adhesions to the trocar sites, 12 animals developed adhesions to the area of the polypropylene mesh, and 3 developed adhesions to the side of the sham procedure. There were no adhesions involving the small intestine. It is therefore concluded that the hypothesis should be rejected and that laparoscopic herniorrhaphy does not incite significant adhesions.