Evaluation of adhesion formation and host tissue response to intra-abdominal polytetrafluoroethylene mesh and composite prosthetic mesh

Background. The purpose of this study was to measure the extent of adhesion formation to ePTFE mesh (DualMesh(R), W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc, Flagstaff, AZ) and two composite prosthetic materials, ePTFE and polypropylene (Bard(R)Composix(TM), C.R. Bard, Inc, Murray Hill, NJ) and hyaluronic acid/carboxymethylcellulose and polypropylene (Sepramesh(TM), Genzyme Corp, Cambridge, MA) after their intra-abdominal placement on an intact peritoneum, simulating laparoscopic ventral hernia repair, and to evaluate host tissue response to the prosthetic biomaterials. Materials and methods. Through a midline laparotomy, a 2 x 2 cm piece of mesh (n = 60) was sewn to an intact peritoneum on each side of a midline incision in 30 New Zealand white rabbits. Mesh adhesions were scored using a modified Diamond scale (0 = 0%, 1 = 1-25%, 2 = 26 -50%, 3 > 50%) at 1, 3, 9, and 16 weeks by serial microlaparoscopy (2 mm). All laparoscopic evaluations were videotaped for blinded scoring by three surgeons. Host tissue response was graded (1-4) for inflammation, tissue ingrowth, and mesothelialization. The predominant cell type (polymorphonuclear leukocytes versus foreign body giant cell) was recorded. Statistical differences (P value <0.05*) were measured using a two-tailed t test and Kruskal-Wallis test. Results. The mean adhesion score was significantly (P < 0.001) less for ePTFE mesh at 1, 3, 9, and 16 weeks compared with the two composite prosthetic materials. There were no differences in the mean adhesion scores between the two biosurgical composite meshes at any of the time intervals. There were no differences in the mean score for inflammation, tissue ingrowth and mesothelialization between any of the prosthetic biomaterials. The predominant cell type on all histological evaluations was polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Conclusions. Placing ePTFE mesh (DualMesh(R)) intra-abdominal against an intact peritoneum results in significantly fewer adhesions than the composite prosthetic meshes during a 4-month follow-up. The host tissue response is equivalent for the three prosthetic biomaterials. The long-term consequences of increased adhesion formation to the composite meshes and the ultimate biocompatibility of the nonabsorbable and absorbable barriers on the polypropylene mesh are to be determined. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.