Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Laura Withers, M.D. St. Lukes Roosevelt Grand Rounds July 6, 2005
Definition
A hernia is the protrusion of an organ through the wall that normally contains it. An incisional hernia occurs in the area of an old surgical scar. A ventral hernia occurs in the abdominal wall.
Clinical Presentation
More than half of incisional hernias occur within the first two years after primary operation. A diffuse bulge directly under or adjacent to a previous incision. Increased protrusion with valsalva or standing. Cosmetic concerns or interference with work or activity are common complaints. Pain is unusual as a presenting symptom unless there are incarcerated or strangulated structures. The natural history of an incisional hernia is to enlarge and become symptomatic.
Risk Factors
Age Above 65 or 70 Male Gender Malnutrition Sepsis Anemia Uremia Ascites / Liver Failure Diabetes Pulmonary Disease Smoking Abdominal Distension Obesity Coughing / Retching Urinary Retention Post-op Ileus Peritoneal Dialysis Wound Infection Corticosteroids Chemotherapy Immunosupression
Etiology
Mechanical Factors Intra-abdominal pressure overwhelming a weakness in the abdominal wall. Pathologic changes in collagen that adversely affect wound healing. Type I collagen is dominant in a mature scar Type III collagen dominates in the early stages of wound healing Factors such as smoking, malnutrition, immunocompromise, wound infection and underlying diseases are now understood to interfere with normal collagen metabolism.
1.
Kocher or Right Subcostal Incision: oblique abdominal incision paralleling the thoracic cage on the right of the abdomen for cholecystectomy. Pfannenstial Incision: A transverse incision through the external sheath of the rectus muscles, about an inch above the pubes. It follows natural folds of the skin and curves over mons pubis in such a way that the pubic hairs cover the scar. Rocky-Davis Incision: muscle splitting transverse abdominal incision employed in appendectomy.
5.
8.
The paramedian incision is a vertical incision made parallel to and approximately 3 cm from the midline
Rectus - retracted laterally
Midline Incision:
The most common and most versatile approach. Closure
2 No. 1 continuous polypropolene sutures that meet in the middle Bites incorporating all layers of the abdominal wall except skin and fat - no need to close the peritoneum
Suture Characteristics
Nonabsorbable suture has better tensile strength but can persist and become a focus of infection or a draining sinus tract Monofilaments and inert materials are less likely to be associated with wound infection Braided materials knot more securely than monofilament and are less likely to stretch Memory describes a stitches tendency to straighten over time loosening and slipping. It is overcome by tying square knots and using an adequate number of throws.
Suture Techniques
One centimeter back and one centimeter apart.
Bite to prevent the suture from pulling through it should be placed at least 1 cm from the wound edge Spacing to distribute the tension on the tissues while also preventing herniation between the sutures stitches are placed about 1 cm apart Continuous vs. Interrupted Sutures continuous suturing may better distribute the tension but if one bite pulls loose it compromises the whole closure Tension Sutures Full thickness sutures that help prevent dehisance in cases of difficult abdominal closure
Principles of Repair
Tension Free Repair Incision - Chosen to Provide Good Exposure of the Defect Do Not Expose Bowel to Reactive Mesh Clear Adequate Margins of the Defect Skin Hygiene Antibiotic Prophylaxis Choice of Anethesia Avoid Counter-incisions When to Excise the Sac
Rives-Stoppa Technique
Pascal's principlewide mesh overlap of defect distributes pressure equally over larger surface area.
Hernia contents are gently reduced using broad grasping instruments. External counter-pressure aids the reduction.
The margins of the defect may be marked on the skin. The patch is measured and trimmed to fit. With the smooth side down, 4-6 large fixation sutures are placed around the patch and tied
PROCEED* Surgical Mesh also has two layers, a thin, bioresorbable layer that separates its strong, supportive mesh from underlying viscera. It is a lightweight construction to improve handeling for laparoscopic procedures. It has a special deploying tool.
GORE DUALMESH is a soft, ePTFE that has two functionally distinct surfaces: a closed structure surface for reduced tissue attachment and a macroporous structure surface for faster tissue attachment
Spillage?
No No
YES
infections that involve polypropylene meshes can be managed with surgical drainage, excision of exposed, segments and antibiotics Meshes (ePTFE) require removal in most cases because they lack tissue ingrowth that could combat the infection
Seroma
The development of seroma is virtually guaranteed after lap incisional hernia repair and probably after repair with mesh in general. They typically resolve spontaneously without intervention and are not considered a complication unless they are clinically apparent more than 8 weeks postoperatively.
open
O L O L O
0 1 1 1 1 7 1 8 0 4 1 1 4 5
1 0
0 5 1 2 6 0 1 2. 6 2 2 0 5. 8 2 6 2 4. 0 36 17 2 16. 5
A design for a prospective, randomized multicenter study organized by Dr. Itani from Harvard was published in AJS in Dec. 2004.
It is comparing laparoscopic repair with the Chevrel primary repair with mesh onlay and hypothesizes that the laparoscopic group will have fewer complications at 8 weeks post op
St Lukes-Roosevelt
References
Read RC, Yoder G. Recent trends in the management of incisional herniation. Arch Surg 1989;124:485-8. Bucknall TE, BMJ 1982;284:931-3 Manninen MJ, Lavonius M, Perhoniemi VJ. Results of incisional hernia repair: a retrospective study of 172 unselected hernioplasties. Eur J Surg 1991;157:29-31. Bucknall TE, Burst Abdomen and incisional hernia: a prospective study of 1129 major laparotomies. BJM 182;284:931-3. Pollack AV, Single-layer mass closure of major laparotomies by continuous suturing. J R Soc MED 1979;72:889-93 Carlson MA, Ludwig KA, Condon RE. Ventral hernia and other complications of 1,000 midline incisions. South Med J 1995;88:450-3. Mastery of Surgery Dr. Penn and Dr. Baker Gabbe: Obstetrics - Normal and Problem Pregnancies, 4th ed., Copyright 2002 Churchill Livingstone, Inc Nonclosure of peritoneum: a reappraisal. Tulandi T - Am J Obstet Gynecol - 01-AUG-2003; 189(2): 609-12 Tonouchi H. Ohmori Y. Kobayashi M. Kusunoki M. Trocar site hernia. [Review] [63 refs] [Journal Article. Review. Review of Reported Cases] Archives of Surgery. 139(11):1248-56, 2004 Nov. The 2-mm trocar: a safe and effective way of closing trocar sites using existing equipment.Reardon PR - J Am Coll Surg - 01-FEB-2003; 196(2): 333-6. Liu CD, McFadden DW. Am Surg 2000;66:853-4. Bowrey DJ, Blom D, Crookes PF, et al. Risk factors and the prevalence of trocar site herniation after laparoscopic fundoplication. Surg Endosc 2001;15:663.Garzotto MG, Newman RC, Cohen MS, et al. Closure of laparoscopic trocar sites using a springloaded needle. Urology 1995;45:310-2. Umbilical and epigastric hernia repair. Muschaweck U - Surg Clin North Am - 01-OCT-2003; 83(5): 1207-21
References
Luijendijk RW, Hop WC, van den Tol P, DeLange DC, Braaksma MM, Ijzermans JN, et al. A comparison of suture repair with mesh repair for incisional hernia. N Engl J Med 2000;343:392-8 Incisional Hernia Repair Millikan KW - Surg Clin North Am - 01-OCT-2003; 83(5): 1223-34 Toy FK, et al Prospective, Multicenter Study of Laparoscopic Ventral Hernioplasty: Surg Endos 1998; 12(7):955-9. Park, A. Laparoscopic Ventral Hernia Repair. Advances in Surgery. 2004 38-47 Laparoscopic repair of incisional hernias. Cobb WS - Surg Clin North Am - 01-FEB-2005; 85(1): 91-103, ix Complications of open groin hernia repairs.Stephenson BM - Surg Clin North Am - 01-OCT-2003; 83(5): 1255-78 DeMaria et al Laproscopic intraperitoneal PTFE patch repair of ventral hernia. Surg Endoscopy 2000 Carbajo et al Laparoscopic treatment vs Open Surgery in the solution of major incisional and ventral hernias with mesh Surg Endosc. 1999
On the Horizion?
A study by Dubay et al in the anals of surgery June 2004 shows reduced recurrance rates when abdominals incisions are treated with basic fibroblast growth factor Advances in mesh technology : those such as that decrease adhesions or those that allow or even stimulate tissue regeneration or those that have improved resistance to infection. Randomized, Prospective studies that may provide guidance in choosing the proper procedure based on patient characteristics. Innovations to help those of us on the learning curve of laparoscopy
Wound matrix deposition over time. Fibronectin and type III collagen constitute the early matrix. Type I collagen accumulates later and corresponds to the increase in wound tensile strength.
PDS Background
Indications Extended wound tensile strength required Absorption (Hydrolysis) In vivo tensile strength greater than Vicryl and Dexon Day 14: 74% of tensile strength retained Day 28: 58% of tensile strength retained Day 45: 41% of tensile strength retained Day 180: Complete Suture absorption Characteristics Less contamination of the monofilament Stiffer and more difficult to handle More expensive than Dexon or Vicryl