Purpose: To prospectively evaluate the use of a continuous Nitinol containing memory frame patch during a TIPP-technique in the open repair of inguinal and femoral hernias.
Methods: Over a 3-year period all consecutive adult patients that needed treatment for an inguinal or femoral hernia were treated by the TIPP repair using the Rebound Shield mesh. Intra-operatively the type and size of the hernia were evaluated according to the EHS classification, as well as the size of the mesh used. Baseline characteristics for all patients were evaluated considering age, gender, BMI and American society of Anesthesiologists score. Standard X-ray was performed to evaluate mesh position. All patients were evaluated for post-operative pain using the visual analogue scale (VAS 0-10 scale).
Results: In total 289 groin hernias were operated using a nitinol containing patch in 235 patients. The mean operating time was 38 min for unilateral hernias and 59 min for bilateral hernias. The median follow-up is 21.2 months (14-33 months) during which three patients died, unrelated to the groin hernia repair. At the time of re-evaluation 12 patients (5.0 %) complained of chronic pain, with a VAS score higher than 3 after 3 months (range 3-10). Two of these patients already had severe pain pre-operatively. A total of 3 recurrences (2.9 %) were noted with strong correlation with X-ray findings.
Conclusion: A nitinol memory frame containing mesh is a valuable tool to achieve complete deployment of a large pore mesh in a TIPP repair for inguinal hernias with acceptable morbidity and a low recurrence rate.