Background: In general surgery, the repair of abdominal wall hernias has a prominent place, and the indications and uses of meshes have increased due to better results.
Aim: To compare the repair of induced abdominal wall defects with Parietex and Surgisis meshes, in direct contact with abdominal viscera (intraperitoneal mesh).
Method: For the experiments, were used 16 female young adult rabbits. Two full thickness triangular defects of 2 cm base by 2.5 cm high were created, lateral to the linea alba, one at each side. They were repaired with rectangular meshes of 3 cm base by 3.5 cm high, on the right side with Parietex mesh (polyester/collagen-polyethylenglycol-glycerol), and on the left side with Surgisis mesh (lyophilized porcine small bowel submucosa). The evaluation included clinical-surgical findings as well as histological and immunohistochemical parameters. Eight rabbits were subjected to euthanasia after 30 days, and the eight after 60 days.
Results: Both meshes induced skin erosions, despite the varying levels of mesh undermining evaluated, no incisional hernia occurred. There were peritoneal adhesions to the surface of both types of meshes after 30 days and in a lower extent and intensity after 60 days. Meshes' shrinking correspond to 1/3 of the original size and Parietex caused less inflammatory process at the histologic evaluation. Deposition of collagen type I presented no significant difference between the meshes, but deposition of collagen type III was more intense after 60 days, in both groups. Regarding collagen's rearrangement, the production of MMP8 was higher on Parietex after 30 days, and MMP13 enzyme was increased after 60 days, in both meshes (significant only for Parietex).
Conclusion: Both meshes were efficient in the correction of abdominal wall defects, and with similar results, but Parietex presented less inflammatory process and greater amount of matrix-metalloproteinases MMP8 and MMP13 than Surgisis.