Prevention of incisional hernia after aortic aneurysm repair

Background. Incisional hernia is a common late complication of elective abdominal aneurysm (AAA) repair. This paper describes a technique that could prevent the development of this condition. Methods. Since Jan 2001, a polypropylene mesh has been sutured prophylactically in the pre-peritoneal space during abdominal closure after elective AAA repair. Results. Twenty-eight consecutive elective procedures were performed. One patient died from a myocardial infarct 13 days after operation. Four patients (14%) had a wound infection (I deep methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection and 3 superficial) that were treated successfully with antibiotics and dressings. One additional patient had a positive MRSA wound swab but required no treatment. Two patients required late re-operations. One, who was on warfarin, required an urgent laparotomy for a leaking false aneurysm of the distal anastamosis 3 months after elective repair. A second patient had an anterior resection 18 months after aneurysm repair. Both re-operations were uneventful. No patient has yet developed a clinically evident incisional hernia. Conclusions. These early data suggest that this mesh technique is a simple, safe and potentially effective method to decrease the incidence of incisional hernia following aortic aneurysm repair.