Background: Using self-gripping mesh eliminates the need for additional mechanical fixation in laparoscopic groin hernia repair when surgeons plan to fix it. However, the mesh's 'self-gripping' characteristic makes it much more difficult to unfold and place. Here, the novel "Swiss-roll" placement method of folding self-gripping mesh is introduced and compared to the common folding placement method.
Material and methods: The cohort of this prospective randomized controlled study included 100 patients who underwent transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) groin hernia repair in the Department of Hernia and Abdominal Wall Surgery of Shanghai East Hospital between January and December 2018. The patients were randomly assigned to the "Swiss-roll" folding group or the common folding group. The time required for mesh placement, total surgical duration, and the incidences of postoperative pain and complications were compared.
Results: The times required for mesh placement in the "Swiss-roll" and common folding groups were 155.10 ± 48.66 and 202.80 ± 61.05 sec, respectively. The "Swiss-roll" folding method significantly shortened the time required for mesh placement (p = 0.000). There were no significant differences in total surgical duration and the incidences of postoperative pain and complications between the two groups.
Conclusions: The "Swiss-roll" folding method facilitates self-gripping mesh placement without increasing the incidence of complications and recurrences in TAPP.
Keywords: ProGrip; groin hernia repair; laparoscopy; self-gripping mesh; transabdominal preperitoneal.